Downing Street has said Dominic Cummings believed he “behaved reasonably and legally” when he travelled from his London home to Country Durham during the lockdown.
Opposition MPs have accused Number 10 of a “cover-up” and called for the Prime Minister’s top aide to resign after it emerged that he had driven 250-miles despite the guidelines on travelling.
But in a statement Downing Street said his actions were in line with guidelines and said reports that his family were spoken to by police were incorrect.
Full support
Dominic Cummings has the “full support” of the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson had come under pressure to sack his top aide after it was revealed he drove his wife and child to a family property in the North East after his spouse developed coronavirus-related symptoms.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, speaking at the daily Downing Street Covid-19 briefing, said: “I can tell you the PM provides Mr Cummings with his full support.”
However, the response from senior Tory politicians earlier in the day appears to be co-ordinated, could Dom have been behind this show of support?
And then Dominic Raab Tweeted this.
The Chancellor said something similar.
And Matt Hancock also put in his two pence worth, with a Tweet you might recognise (see above)
It almost feels like this PR campaign could have been engineered by Dominic Cummings himself, it certainly feels that way, but we might never know. Nick Harris, from Sporting Intelligence had his theory, which you can see below.
Additionally, as Sun journalist Tom Newton Dunn Tweeted, not all MPs seemed to have agreed with request.
Related – ‘Arrogance of this pr*ck’ -11 Piers Morgan Tweets about Dominic Cummings