this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines... borisjohnson‘s top adviser dominic cummings will make a statement this afternoon, as the prime minister comes under increasing pressure to sack him following allegations he broke lockdown rules. borisjohnson is putting his political interest ahead of the public interest and when trust in a public health message and public health advice is as important as it is right now, the consequences of that could be very serious. the price some children pay in lockdown, as social services warn of an increase in abuse, neglect or harm going on behind closed doors. brazil is declared the latest coronavirus hotspot with more than 360,000 cases, second only to the united states. and getting training back on track. the government gives the go—ahead to some contact sport preparations,

but with restrictions. good afternoon. borisjohnson‘s senior adviser dominic cummings will be making a public statement and taking questions later this afternoon. we will bring you that live here on bbc news. it comes amid growing calls for his resignation over claims he broke the government's own lockdown guidelines. the prime minister is holding a cabinet meeting in downing street right now. it's scheduled to be looking at further ways of easing the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, but borisjohnson is facing a revolt from mps within his own party, as well as criticism from across the political spectrum, following his decision to back his most senior and most trusted aide. 0ur political correspondent jessica parker reports. the questions keep coming.

did you go to barnard castle, mrcummings? and cannot easily be waved away. boris johnson strongly backed his chief aide last night, saying dominic cummings had acted legally and with integrity. the prime minister appearing to consider the matter closed. very serious allegations have been levelled at dominic cummings and his family in terms of his breaking of the rules and therefore breaking the law. dominic cummings has set out absolutely clearly, and absolutely categorically, that he did not break the rules and he didn't break the law. this is... the prime minister is right to be asking those questions, right to be asking for those assurances. amid lockdown, mr cummings travelled in late march from london to county durham with his wife, who had covid symptoms and their young son, to self—isolate on the family farm in case they needed help with childcare. then, was there later

a day out, 30 miles down the road at barnard castle. durham's acting police and crime commissioner has requested the facts be investigated. coming out last night to back his adviser... i think you follow the instincts of every father and every parent i think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent and i do not mark him down for that. but a number of conservative mps now want for an investigation, others for dominic cummings to go. my inbox is absolutely bloated with white anger, real fury from constituents from across the political spectrum, from across the different professions and jobs in north dorset. absolutely furious. waiting for developments, it is now understood mr cummings will make a public statement later, take questions. but opposition parties have been calling on the prime minister to sack him. borisjohnson is putting his political interests ahead of the public interest. and when trust in a public health message and public health advice

is as important as it is right now, the consequences of that could be very serious. michael carter from surrey, staying home for health reasons, didn't get to see his mother before she died and says he feels insulted. it looks as if it is the old boys' club looking after each other now. that is what it feels like. and to make rules for the british public to follow and then to break them, orto deceive people, which is moreso what he has done, is unacceptable. at a virtual meeting today, the cabinet is looking at the next steps out of lockdown. as decisions are made behind the store, public trust, a crucial commodity. as decisions are made behind this door, public trust, a crucial commodity. jessica parker, bbc news. as we've heard, durham's acting police, crime and victims‘ commissioner, has written to the force's chief constable, calling on officers to establish whether mr cummings breached the law. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford is here. what happens next?

the coronavirus act which is the ha rd the coronavirus act which is the hard and fast law is difficult to see whether there is a definite breach of that which may involve somebody who was supposed to be, by law, sitting inside, been told to stay inside and its deliberately come out. i think that is properly not the case. but health protection regulations which everyone has been abiding by since the start of lockdown, that is the issue in this case and whether those have been breached. steve white, the acting police commissionerfor breached. steve white, the acting police commissioner for durham has asked the force to go on a fact—finding mission to establish the hard facts. the chief constable has got to decide now what to do with that and the problem is going to be proportionality. what investigative resources is it appropriate to use to investigate someone appropriate to use to investigate someone who has potentially broken a health protection regulation where the finer £60. so because it is possible for them to use cctv, to

talk to witnesses, establish exactly what dominic cummings‘s movements and his family's movements were in those weeks. the difficult decision is which of those tools it's appropriate to use in this case in order to do what steve white wants to do which is to re—establish trust in the police force to show that they are taking these rules is seriously for prime ministerial advisers as for ordinary members of the public. this is the problem, the wider issue. how do police officers enforce something where somebody who was involved in making up the rules is seen to break them? the way the police are supposed to do with us all the way through its forcible speak to people, have a quiet word and when there is a blatant, repeated breach of the rules that then would using force and to use then would using force and to use the fines. the question is where does this fit into that? it does seem does this fit into that? it does seem as does this fit into that? it does seem as if the police spoke on march 31 to dominic cummings‘s father, gave him some advice about what the health protection regulations are. we do not know what was in the

conversation, part of this fact—finding investigation. the next question is whether after those words of advice were given by the police at that point, whether there has been further breaches of that advice ahead and whether in fact this amounts to a series of repeated breaches against police advice, which might maybe have been appropriate for enforcement. pretty unusual, and understatement, to have government and police argue with one another about facts?” government and police argue with one another about facts? i think they would say they are not arguing apart from this one issue about whether or not the family were spoken to. the police are pretty clear that the father were spoken to and downing street statement that went out on saturday morning said mr cummings‘s family were not spoken to. that remains a very clear difference in the factual accounts. maybe we will get more about that from dominic cummings himself this afternoon. i think there is this trust issue about whether or not the police

should be policing prime minister advisers in the exact same way as members of the public, there is a proportionality issue about what resources would now be appropriate to put into that, clearly tapping dominic cummings‘s phone would not be proportionate for something like this and that is what the police have now got to wrestle with and i suppose a thing that has not got much discussion over the weekend as we have all accepted it was appropriate for doctors to go and stay in hotels, so that they could do theirjob and they were not necessarily living at home and were sometimes medical or logistical reasons for that. should those exceptions also apply to the prime minister's key personal advisor? should he actually also have some exceptions built in that things like doctors and other, members of the military, had built in as well? thank you very much. is in downing street. 0ur chief political correspondent, vicki young is in downing street.

we wait to hear what dominic cummings himself has to say. are you getting any clue? we are not what i present he won't do a press conference to take questions a fee is going to resign, he is clearly coming to explain himself and i think there are two questions. there are questions we we don't have answers to. did they go to our motorway service station? that he, as the prime minister said, stay in that one place for 1h days? quarantine period if you have symptoms and have coronavirus. and what they have not denied, downing street, is that there was this trip to another area, 30 miles from where he was staying. that happened a lot? people want to know that too. but it's not just about those questions. it is about the tone he adopts because at the beginning of this, friends of dominic cummings let it be known that he did not care about the story, he did not care about what people thought about it. that

has riled mps as much as the fact that he has contravened the government message. so crucial is that he accepts that he understands why people are so furious about this and adopts, maybe, atone with a bit more humiliation than so far. it is something that i have never seen before. an adviser taking a press conference under these circumstances. in the past, you had characters like alistair campbell getting into the headlines but i think we can safely say here that the adviser has become the story. that was always a mantra of some holders of that office. 0nce that was always a mantra of some holders of that office. once that became the case the position was untenable? but that has not been the case here. dominic cummings does not do things in a way that others have done. he does not abide by the normal protocols if you like that there are. he does not really... he is quite disdainful of westminster and the weight works as well. he does not follow those kind of things. in the past has comments outside his house, the way he has

behaved, making no secret of the fa ct behaved, making no secret of the fact that he does not befriend cabinet—makers, he has not tried to make friends with mps. none of that. this is going to be a very strange event when he has this press conference but it's a real acknowledgement that it did not work yesterday. the prime minister unexpectedly taking that press conference opening to draw a line under orbit saying he had inspected and were satisfied by dominic cummings and it did not work, we now have around 20 tory mps calling for him to resign. a lot of others wanting questions answered and i think this is a really a last—ditch attempt to keep hisjob. but it is no doubt about it,. the gamble he was taking would only be judged once the paper had gone to print and they have not worked in his favour? the problem is that normally advisers act as lightning rods for the prime minister and this was the other way

around. ina minister and this was the other way around. in a way. the problem now is that people watch that, some conservative mps, and thought it was a little bit humiliating for the prime minister. that has own authority was being damaged and his ownjudgment being authority was being damaged and his own judgment being questioned. authority was being damaged and his ownjudgment being questioned. i think that is the real danger here. as well as to remember that in the middle of this pandemic were crucial to the government actions working are the people follow the guidelines. of course people go through reams and reams of guidelines and restrictions that replace on everybody, and there are certain exemptions and people can excuse their behaviour but most people, totally understood what they we re people, totally understood what they were being asked to do and that's where the anger has come from. people have looked and thought i was doing the rules, it looks like it is one rule from the and one for those working in number 10 downing street and that is the real problem here, especially as we continue to try and fight the coronavirus. for now, thank you very much.

there's concern that demand on children's social services in england will increase, as vulnerable children come out of lockdown. social workers have tried to keep in contact with those already known to them, but limited access to some children during the pandemic could mean abuse, neglect or harm behind closed doors. 0ur education and family correspondent frankie mccamley reports. this homeless youth shelter in yorkshire is looking after some of the area's most vulnerable people. young people who'd otherwise be on the streets during lockdown. now, all living under roof together. including this teenager who we are calling jen. my mum, she was a big alcoholic, she was a big druggie. she had kind of like a meltdown about it and, like, didn't want anything to do with us. jen moved to her gran's, but couldn't stay during the pandemic. desperate for somewhere to live, her social workers brought her here

where she met 18—year—old amelia. she became homeless in lockdown, following a family breakdown. amelia says any support young people can get to leave a bad situation at this time can make a huge difference. i was having moments where i would completely break down. i would be in tears on the floor. and i didn't think that was fair for my younger brother to have to walk into my room and find his sister on the floor crying her eyes out. i was so torn up about the breakdown that had happened with my family. the hostel is working closely with social services to make sure these young people are safe. they know they have got a safe bed here and can be a lot better off than some other people. without connections to the outside world or connections to social workers, you probably fear for those people more. it's a fear shared by many. in east london, social workers are video calling the vulnerable children they know about. hey, it's dan, the social worker. some, making home visits where they can. i've just spoken to your mum and she said she is feeling a bit

anxious at the moment. so i'm going to sit outside. trying to get as full of a picture as possible, talking through windows from gardens, or behind closed doors. it's difficult. without face—to—face contact, social workers must pick up on the smallest signs. i've been working with a child where we've been doing a lot of video calls. normally he's quite happy, upbeat and engaged but there were a lot of 1—word answers and glancing off screen. so i'm here today to do a surprised unannounced visit. there are concerns some may be using isolation to stop contact altogether. we did have some families who were quick to tell us they were isolating with a cough or a temperature and sometimes we weren't100% sure that the children really had symptoms, or rather were they trying to avoid a social worker coming to the home. social workers like maryanne are going out across the country trying to find creative ways to stay in touch with children. but there are concerns

about what is happening to those young people who are not in touch with social services. abuse and harm will still be going on, as well as for young people, exploitation and county lines in gangs. so that will re—emerge and we need to be prepared for the increase in pressure of work, which we think will come. but worryingly for now, referrals to child social services are much lower than usual, as children's needs are hidden. the concern is, when normality does begin to emerge, so will the pressure on already squeezed services. frankie mccamley, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... borisjohnson's top adviser, dominic cummings, will make a statement this afternoon, as the prime minister comes under increasing pressure to sack him following allegations he broke lockdown rules. the price some children pay in lockdown, as social services warn of an increase in abuse, neglect or harm going on behind closed doors.

brazil is declared the latest coronavirus hotspot with more than 360,000 cases, second only to the united states. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin ra mjaun. good afternoon. the government's given permission for elite players from all sports to have some contact in training, which sees the return of things like tackling. this will allow clubs to prepare for competitive fixtures. joe wilson reports. under lockdown so far this is what professional training has looked like, individuals practising their skills. coaches can watch from a distance, but essentially, it's solitary. well, the two metre barrier no longer applies. remember the old days? well, training won't look like this again straightaway. initially, clusters of just two or three individuals will be allowed. but the government accepts that practice has to be realistic.

the dcms statement reads... well, imagine rugby, for example, without physical contact/ well, imagine rugby, for example, without physical contact. there has, thus far, been no return to training in premiership rugby at all. sports in this stage too will still have to adhere to guidelines and limitations. for example, changing rooms should still be closed, equipment can't be shared, positive covid—19 tests must be immediately reported. and it is still the individual‘s right to opt out. remember, even in the first stage, in separated sessions, some have chosen not to return to training grounds. this is a new directive, it's not an order. joe wilson, bbc news. it would have been the championship play—off final today, but those clubs are just starting their return to training. most are in favour of

restarting their season, with leeds and west brom currently on course for promotion. but one league chairman says with no coronavirus vaccine and therefore no crowds expected until perhaps next year, up to 60 clubs could go bust. the discussion now has to be in tandem with completing the season, which should happen when safe, what is football going to do to ensure that the entire pyramid survives this? because they've got no income. you're going to have no season ticket sales, no match day income, sponsors. george kruis says he's not closing the door on international rugby, despite announcing this morning that he is leaving saracens to move to japan. the england lock has signed a one year deal with panasonic wild knights. he has been at sarries, who were relegated to the championship for salary cap

breaches, for eleven years. the rfu doesn't normally select players based abroad, but haven't ruled out selection for those saracens players who move overseas. john jeffrey has been appointed interim chairman of the scottish rugby union to replace colin grassie, who is stepping down. jeffrey won a0 caps at flanker for his country, last playing in 1991. and there was another charity golf event in the states overnight. event in the states overnight. tiger woods and phil mickelson paired up with nfl stars peyton manning and tom brady. and being shownjust how it's done too. this is bradyjust casually making an eagle on a parfive. now, he might be one of the most talented sportspeople on the planet, but could be in need a new pair of trousers after a malfunction shall we say? that's all the sport for now.

brazil, the world's sixth—largest country, has been declared the latest coronavirus hotspot with more than 360,000 reported cases. that puts it second only to the united states. despite the crisis, presidentjair bolsonaro has played down the threat from the virus and repeatedly argued that lockdown measures are unnecessary and harmful to the economy. from sao paulo, our correspondent katy watson sent this report. singing. sunday's sermon was a lesson in love. evangelical pastor luiz reminding the congregation, which is mostly online nowadays, that they need to care for people both near and far — a fitting message at a time of socially—distanced devotion. translation: we can't bring politics into church. 0utside, we can talk about it, but here we talk about the soul. on this day of worship, though, brazil's president was devoted to another cause.

protesting against isolation measures with his flock. and once again, not wearing a mask. the pandemic took a back—seat over the weekend. on friday, the supreme court released a dynamite video recorded last month. it's being used as evidence in an investigation into allegations mr bolsonaro tried to replace senior members of the federal police to protect his family. but his foul—mouthed ranting was wide—ranging, attacking politicians, the press, and laying bare his belligerent attitude. translation: i want everybody to be armed because armed people will never be enslaved. but perhaps most surprising of all, in the two hour video, the cabinet barely mentioned the all—consuming coronavirus. these past few days have revealed some ugly truths here in brazil. not only has it become the latest epicentre of the coronavirus crisis, but bolsonaro's government has shown itself to be unable, even unwilling, to lead the country through it. meanwhile, more and more are struggling to get by. this kitchen run by the church used

to have 50 people turning up a day — now it's closer to 2,500. each and every one of them, their hands sprayed before they can pick up their meal. i was working, but i got laid off, this man tells me. what will happen to us in sao paulo? how are we going to live? bolsonaro thinks one thing, the others think another, but nothing has been done for the people. translation: people have the right to health and a dignified way of life. it's irresponsible, it's genocide making people decide — marginalised and excluded people — do they get contaminated by the virus or go hungry? brazil, too, is becoming more and more marginalised. the world watching as its president seems unwilling to take this pandemic seriously. katie watson, bbc news, in sao paulo.

the government's given permission for elite players from all sports the government is considering plans to step in and support some large british businessesthat are struggling financially with the impact of coronavirus. our business correspondent katie prescott is here. (1+1)what our business correspondent katie prescott is here. what would support look like? how would it if they cannot find other sources of funding and crucially if they are considered to be economically vital, the government could step in to help them. if you look at previous presidents, the financial crisis, that involve the government taking a sta ke that involve the government taking a stake in the bank so it is a possibility that they could take a sta ke possibility that they could take a stake in the company, or indeed a large loan might be on the table. stake in the company, or indeed a large loan might be on the tablem is reported to scheme has its support of the chancellor but how would it be managed? that is again something that would need to be bottomed out but if you look at what happened with rbs and lloyds, there may well be something put in place so may well be something put in place so that a branch of government would

essentially look after equity stakes in these companies. who would qualify for it? the idea of economic significance is interesting. what we have been looking at would be businesses that if we lost it would meana businesses that if we lost it would mean a massive loss ofjobs, a big problem for the country, or perhaps other businesses in their supply chain which would again lead to a massive job loss in what has been thrown up by the coronavirus pandemic is what do we need in this country if this happens again? i think it could also count businesses perhaps that we need their product and services in the uk. we have already reported on jaguar and services in the uk. we have already reported onjaguar land rover needing help perhaps going to the government. it's that sort of size company? exactly. jaguar land rover, tata steel have been explored in with a government whether they could get some bespoke package. the government might think we don't want to lose steel manufacturing this company and therefore that's the sort of issue they might be considering. when looking at who together supported. thank you very much.

a total of 2,273 people have died in scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by three on yesterday. earlier, the first minister nicola sturgeon gave her daily briefing where she outlined how the next week will look as restrictions are set to be eased. our current expectation is that we will be able to announce a relaxation of some of those restrictions. initially, any relaxation will focus mainly on outdoor activities and i would expect any new rules to start to come into force from friday of this week. tomorrow, we will also set out more detailed information about how our test and protect system will work. that is test, trace and isolate. and tomorrow we will also publish our transport transition plan, which will provide detail about how public transport can operate safely while the virus is still in circulation. and that will include a clear expectation that people using public transport will wear face coverings.

both of those areas are, of course, very important and increasingly both of those areas are, of course, very important and increasingly crucial, as we start to ease some of the lockdown restrictions. throughout the week, we will also be publishing guidance which is currently being finalised with industry bodies, trade unions and public health experts for different sectors of our economy. and, of course, in advance of the rules on social interactions changing in any way, we will publish clear guidance and what that means for you and how you interact with each other from, of course, a safe physical distance. western australia has been battered by a massive storm which ripped roofs off houses, brought down trees and left 60,000 homes without power. wind gusts, which registered at more than a 82 miles per hour, struck when the remnants of a cyclone collided with a cold front. the state's south was particularly hard hit with dust storms, torrential rain and huge waves

along the coast. no injuries have been reported in what authorities have described as a once in a decade event. now, keeping a calm head amid political earthquakes is a key skill for any world leader, but when it comes to dealing with the real, tectonic variety, new zealand's premier proved equally unsha kable. this was prime ministerjacinda ardern's reaction to a moderate 5.2 magnitude quake, during a live tv interview. we're just having a bit of an earthquake. quite a decent shake... if you see things moving behind me. has it stopped, prime minister? it has just stopped. there were no reports of any injuries or damage. now it's time for a look at the weather with chris. for most of us we will keep the

gloriously sunny skies overhead through the rest of the day today, with just an exception into the north—west of the country. a weather front here bringing a little bit of rain to the far north—west of scotland. maybe around 5—10 millimetres for the hebrides, highlands, northern isles, not a huge amount. increasingly as the weather front pushes southwards, across northern ireland and into northern england and north wales, it wea ke ns. northern england and north wales, it weakens. an order spit of rain to come for some of you overnight, otherwise our mild night, particularly in london with temperatures no lower than 1a. tomorrow we have more fine weather on the way, more cloud in the sky, particularly for england and wales but that will continue to sin through the afternoon so most of us will have spells of sunshine. sunshine returns again to scotland, northern ireland and northern england, eire little bit fresher but still pleasant under sunny skies, highs of 17—20. further south, highs reached 25 in the hazy sunshine of the south—east.

hello, this is bbc news with simon mccoy. the headlines: borisjohnson's top adviser dominic cummings will make a statement this afternoon, as the prime minister comes under increasing pressure to sack him following allegations

he broke lockdown rules.