UK defends Boris Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings over breaking lockdown rules

Cummings left his London home to stay with his parents in Durham, northeast England, while suffering symptoms of Covid-19, two newspapers said

Johnson’s office said his adviser made the journey to ensure his young son could be properly cared for as his wife was ill with Covid-19

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Dominic Cummings, special adviser for Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, leaves his home in London. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:02am, 23 May 2020Updated: 10:20am, 25 May 2020

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resisted calls on Saturday from opposition parties to sack adviser Dominic Cummings after he travelled 400km while his wife showed Covid-19 symptoms to ensure their son could be looked after by his parents.

Cummings, who masterminded the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union during the Brexit referendum, travelled the 250 miles to Durham in northern England in late March, when a strict lockdown was already in place, The Guardian and Mirror newspapers reported.

Johnson’s office said his adviser made the journey to ensure his young son could be properly cared for as his wife was ill with Covid-19 and there was a “high likelihood” that Cummings would himself become unwell.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: AFP

“His actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines,” a Downing Street spokesman said. “Mr Cummings believes he behaved reasonably and legally.”

One of Johnson’s most senior ministers, Michael Gove, said of the situation: “Caring for your wife and child is not a crime.”