in england, as vulnerable children emerge from lockdown. and we talk to the syrian doctors helping the nhs in the fight against the pandemic. good evening. the prime minister's top adviser, dominic cummings, has denied doing anything wrong when he drove to his parents‘ home during the lockdown last month. in a news conference at downing street a short while ago, mr cummings said he did not regret his decision to travel 260 miles from london to durham with his wife who was ill and their four—year—old son because he claimed none of their usual childcare

options were available. he repeatedly denied that he'd broken the rules and rejected the idea that he'd undermined the government's clear instruction to stay home. mr cummings went on to say that he had not considered resigning. it comes as 121 more deaths were announced in the past 24—hour period. that brings the total number of dead so far in the uk to 36,914. with more, here's our political editor laura kuennsberg. the rule is unwritten, but it is real. advisers aren't meant to be the story. when ordinary people were obeying the rules on staying home... already this is day four of headlines about dominic cummings. he's made a career out of trying to rewrite political convention. even for him, this was astonishing. using

the downing street garden, normally reserved for world leaders, to explain or to apologise, or perhaps fight back. sorry i'm late. i know that millions of people in this country have been suffering, thousands have died, many are angry about what they have seen in the media about my actions. i want to clear up the confusion and misunderstanding. first, iwas worried that if my wife and i were both seriously ill, possibly hospitalised, there was no one in london we could reasonably ask to look after our child and expose themselves to covid. my wife had felt on the edge of not being able to look after him safely a few hours earlier. i was thinking, what are the same happens to me? there is no one i can reasonably ask to help. i thought the best thing to do in the circumstances was to drive to an isolated cottage at my father's farm. at this farm, my parents live in one house, and my sister and two children live in a separate house, and there is a cottage 50 metres away from both of them. if we were

both unable to look after our child, i thought my sister and nieces could look after him. i did not ask the prime minister about this decision. he was ill himself and had huge problems to deal with. every day, i have to exercise judgment about things like this and decide what to discuss with him. he admitted he and his wife had gone for a drive 30 miles to barnard castle, also seemingly against the rules. after i first displayed symptoms, i decided to return to work. my wife was worried that my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease. she did not want to risk a nearly 300 mile drive with our child, given how willjai had been. we agreed we should go for a short drive to see ifi should go for a short drive to see if i could drive safely. —— how ill

i had been. we walked about ten to 15 metres from the car, to the river bank nearby. we sat there for about 15 minutes. we had no interactions with anybody. do you regret what you did? many people in this country have made heartbreaking sacrifices in the last couple of months in order to stick to the rules that you we re order to stick to the rules that you were pa rt of order to stick to the rules that you were part of putting together, and many people may have listened to you and think you made your own interpretation, and do you understand for some people it seems as if there was one version of the rules for you and one version of the rules for you and one version of the rules for you and one version of the rules for everyone else? no, i don't regret what i did. as i said, i think, reasonable people may well disagree about how i thought about what to do in these circumstances, but i think that, i think that what idid was but i think that, i think that what i did was actually reasonable in these,in i did was actually reasonable in these, in the circumstances. in terms of the rules, i think the

rules made clear that if you are dealing with small children, then that could be, that can be exceptional circumstances, but i've explained why. will you offer any regret, any apology, to people who didn't have the ability to make the decisions you did, didn't have the resources to do what you did? what i did in this 14 resources to do what you did? what i did in this 1a days, i think that i behaved reasonably. number ten may help turn out this bizarre episode in their lavish garden this afternoon will help to close this down, but dominic cummings has a lwa ys down, but dominic cummings has always been revered and reviled for thinking he is the exception to the rule. laura's in westminster for us this evening. what did we make of that, laura? it has been an extraordinary afternoon. i've never seen anything like that. the downing street garden is normally reserved for world leaders 01’ normally reserved for world leaders or prime ministers who want to make big announcements when the sun

happens to be shining. number ten are so happens to be shining. number ten are so keen to keep mr cummings in his position that they felt that making this very dramatic move was worth it. he did, though, absolutely admit that he had made a decision that most of us would have felt would only have been buried in the small print. he talked about his complicated circumstances and how that led him to make a particular set of decisions. it was notable that despite being asked by lots of journalists there, he did not say sorry, did not apologise. journalists there, he did not say sorry, did notapologise. he journalists there, he did not say sorry, did not apologise. he kept saying, i see why people might respectfully disagree with what i did, but he didn't put his hands up and say, i did the wrong thing. in terms of closing it down, already tonight there are tory mps who have been inundated by furious messages from many of their constituents who feel that the way he explained himself and showed up to explain

himself and showed up to explain himself may well cool some tempers. we will hear from the prime minister himself and about half an hour tonight, and i think downing street cannot be sure that they are somehow free of this very serious political moment. but they did have to do something dramatic to try and get him through this, do something dramatic, well they certainly did that. white night we will have live coverage of the prime minister's statement —— coverage of the prime minister's statement -- we will have live coverage of the prime ministers statement. today marks another bank holiday in lockdown. but following the easing of some lockdown measures last week, many people in england have been taking advantage of the weather and travelling to national parks and beaches. wales, scotland and northern ireland, however, remain under stricter restrictions for now. 0ur correspondent fiona trott reports. lockdown on the south—east coast. hundreds of people enjoying the sunshine at southend—on—sea. it

looks like a bank holiday before the pandemic. in wales, a very different scene. there, people can only travel when necessary. this was scotland today. and a beach in northern ireland, where people are still being encouraged to stay at home. in the north of england, this has been whitley bay's busiest day during lockdown. as you can see, most people on the beaches are social distancing. the local council says dominic cummings's visit has made it harderfor dominic cummings's visit has made it harder for them dominic cummings's visit has made it harderfor them to dominic cummings's visit has made it harder for them to enforce the rules. we have to get their message out that we are still on lockdown, still have social distancing measures in force. boris needs to make quick actions now to get public confidence back. but here on the promenade, most visitors say they are still staying alert. it's not right, and there's rules that need to be in place, so you should follow

them, but if he's doing it, i do think some people may look at that and think, if somebody like him is doing it, we will change what we are doing. but that's not right, i don't think. he did do wrong. no, he hasn't made me change my mind, my tactics. i'm still alert and careful. everyone has had childcare issues. it feels hypocritical, it feels arrogant. this ice cream shack is doing what it can to keep people apart, especially when the weight feels long. luciano is eagerly awaiting the next steps. responsible relaxation of the rules is vital for towns like whitley bay. we are fortu nate towns like whitley bay. we are fortunate enough to rely on takeaway. 0ur fortunate enough to rely on takeaway. our business is geared up as well to be able to take away. we are doing ice creams, teas and

coffees, but we are also well known for pizza, so we would like to get the oven back on, get customers back into the shop so we can bring our chefs back in. it is time to get back to work. many traders want a return to this. but during a pandemic, it feels uncomfortable for some. following government guidelines and following your instinct on a sunny bank holiday is a difficult balance to strike. most people here at whitley bay stopped at the lockdown rules today. they say that dominic cummings's trip hasn't changed their behaviour but it has changed their view. many say there is less trust, and that is something the government can't afford to lose. the next stage of easing the lockdown involves persuading people to stay at home when more rigorous testing and contact tracing comes into force. fiona, many thanks. 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 they've been suffering 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. 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've 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 a 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 smaller 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 one—word answers and glancing off screen. so i'm here today to do a surprise 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 and 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. white like some of the doctors on the front line of the nhs came to the front line of the nhs came to the uk as refugees. fergal keane has been to meet syrian doctors in manchester who say they are working in hospitals here to repay some of the kindness and generosity that they say they have received since

arriving in britain. some nightmares never end. years of killing stretch into more years. it's created a vast refugee crisis, forcing millions to flee. dr ahmed al—ammar is a syrian refugee now working at royal 0ldham hospital in manchester. here he is checking on a patient admitted with a severe cough. hello. my name's ahmed. yeah. i have checked your chest x—ray, yeah? yeah. it doesn't look like covid. meanwhile, it looks like a bacterial—type infection. 0k. arriving in 2014, ahmed and his family found safety in britain,

and he brought precious skills. where's my chocolates? laughter. he has a presence that puts other staff at their ease. i've only had one day off! having struggled with mass casualties in besieged aleppo, he is well placed to offer emotional support to colleagues. during this difficult time in syria, i learned how to cope with stress, i learned how to manage. and when the covid pandemic started here, i realised that it would be a very difficult time, because nobody had ever had a similar experience. here, you're struck by the this connectedness of our world — a syrian doctor fighting covid in britain. but i think it's also a place to reflect on the differences, between societies with functioning health services and political freedom and those, like syria, that are ravaged by war and labour under tyranny.

more than half syria's health facilities have been destroyed or damaged. hospitals have been targeted by the regime and its russian allies. the british surgeon david nott, here wearing the colourful cap, trained syrian doctors in emergency surgery in besieged aleppo. it's left me with a broken heart because there are so many millions of people as refugees now, and they need to go home but they're too scared to go home. and it is a dreadful situation that they are still unfortunately having to cope with. there is an irony in this, of course, in that you went there to help them. they are now here helping you. yes, it's true, absolutely true. and it's wonderful. here in aleppo, working under siege conditions, one of the young doctors he trained. he became a highly

skilled trauma surgeon. now he is in manchester, a friend of dr ahmed and studying for the exams that will allow him to practice in britain. he wants to repay the welcome and pcs found here. —— he wants to repay the welcome and peace he's found here. i imagine our colleagues here, that they are suffering, they need help. they need any hand they can have with them. i can understand their feeling now, and it's really exhausting during these uncertain times. ahmed has found security here, and what he loves. but he yearns for home. a return he knows is impossible while the regime is in power. doctor, what do you miss most? my family, actually. yeah. my friends. my city.

do you believe you will go back? i can go back there, but there is no—one there to see, you know? so... but sometimes i think in this way. a doctor no longer able to help his own country helps save lives here. may i see your hands, please? 0ur good fortune, syria's tragedy. fergal keane, bbc news, manchester. spain has announced that foreign travellers will be able to visit the country from the beginning ofjuly — without going into quarantine. the country's foreign minister tweeted that the worst was behind them. spain normally attracts 80 million tourists a year. the football association has confirmed that the two top tiers of women's football in england will end their seasons with immediate effect. the fa says the decision to bring the super league and the championship to a close

was made in the "best interests" of the women's game. no decision has yet been made on how to determine the final league placings. just time to say this week on bbc news, we'll particular hospital, and one community in the heart of london. here's a preview. i've felt broken on many occasion. everything's 0k — you're at the royal london hospital. go, go, go... we were 20 beds away from being overrun. it's ripped into the heart of our community. coming up, this week.

that's from tomorrow evening here on bbc news. we're back this evening on bbc one with the late news at ten. now, time for the news where you are. let's remind ourselves of some of the key points from that press conference given this afternoon by dominic cummings, the chief adviser to the prime minister, in the garden of number ten downing street. a very unusual event indeed. mr cummings told reporters that he knows "that people are angry" but "does not regret" what he did" — referring to his trip to county durham during lockdown, whilst he and his wife were ill with suspected coronavirus. he said he believes in all the circumstances, he behaved reasonably and legally, and that he has not offered his resignation to the prime minister. dominic cummings confirmed that he, his wife, and his child travelled to durham to stay in what he describes as an "isolated cottage" on his father's farm, 50 metres away from his parents.

he said they did not stop during thisjourney, and that once at the property in durham, he had no direct contact with any of his family — his sister dropped shopping outside their property instead. but he admitted he did not tell the prime minister before making the journey. mr cummings explained that before returning to london, he, his wife, and his child took a 30—mile trip to barnard castle as a means of testing he was well enough to drive, following some issues with his eyesight whilst ill. he said, "it was reasonable to take a short drive to see if i was fit to return to london". but he went on to deny that he had returned to durham later in april, despite an eye witness account. he said he could prove his location using photos and data on his phone. i can understand that some people

will argue that i should have stayed at my in london throughout. i understand these views. i know of the intense hardship and sacrifice that the entire country has had to go through. however, i respectfully disagree. the legal rules inevitably do not cover all circumstances, including those that i found myself in. i thought — and i think today — that the rules, including those regarding small children in extreme circumstances, allowed me to exercise myjudgement about the situation i found myself in, including the way that my london home had become a target and all the complexity of the situation. i accept, of course, there is room for disagreement about this. i can also understand some people think i should not have driven at all anywhere. but i had taken expert medical advice. it was 15 days after symptoms. i had been told that i could return to work and employ child care. i think it was reasonable and sensible to make a shortjourney before embarking on a five—hour drive to see whether i was in a fit state to do this.

the alternative was to stay in durham rather than go back to work and contribute to the government's efforts. i believe i made the right judgement, though i can understand that others may disagree with that. i've explained all of the above to the prime minister. at some point during the first week when we were both sick and in bed, i mentioned to him what i had done. unsurprisingly, given the condition we were in, neither of us remember the conversation in any detail. so, dominic cummings and his explanaton of why he took his family to durham, dominating the news tonight. he says exceptional circumstances, and of course, that news conference earlier has dominated the news so far this evening. but the prime minister expected to lead the official downing street press briefing in six minutes' time. but also, we have heard a stark reminder this evening of how coronavirus continues to affect us and the community as a whole. the department of health has said that 121 people have died in the uk in hospitals,

care homes and the wider community as of 5pm on sunday. well, our health correspondent sophie hutchinson is with me now. she's keeping an eye on all these figures and detail as usual. talk us through the figures released today and put them in context given we are getting back from a bank holiday weekend, and their factors around the figures we need to know. absolutely. we know that after or during a weekend, the figures are lower because of the way the reporting system works in terms of reporting system works in terms of reporting cases. but having said that, the figure of 121 deaths — clearly we have to say for each of those individuals who died, it is a tragedy for their families and friends, as well. in terms of the overall figures, if you go back perhaps two months ago, we were seeing figures of 1000 deaths a day. so coming down even though it is the weekend, it is clearly to be

welcomed and that there has been a significant decrease in the numbers of deaths. now it may well go up in the next couple days, but it has come down quite a long way. lots of talk understandably in recent weeks and days has been to do with the extent of the lock down, the fact that it has been relaxed somewhat in england, but not in wales, scotland 01’ england, but not in wales, scotland or northern ireland. if these figures continue along this trend, what will be the pressures within the devolved administrations to start moving, and for borisjohnson may be this evening to hint that more relaxation is on the way? we know that in england in a week's time, we will see some schools easing lockdown. not all, but some yea rs easing lockdown. not all, but some years in primary school will go back, and eventually secondary school as well. but in scotland, this coming week, so on thursday, it may lift some lockdown measures.

that is allowing people to sunbathe in parks, for example, and be able to meet and other household if they wa nt to meet and other household if they want to. in wales, there will be a review on thursday of the lockdown measures to see whether easing down can be taken place. there seems to be some movement in the lockdown, but how broad that is, we don't know, and whether there will be further announcements for england with the press conference with boris johnson, we willjust have to wait to see. briefly in terms of the way the science has been discussed around these figures and the lockdown, do you detect any change in the way that debate has happened over the way that we understand this virus, how it affects people, how it can be dealt with? how much progress has been made in the last week in this debate? we know an awful lot more than we did back injanuary about this completely new virus,

obviously. we know about how long the incubation period is, or at least we have a very good guess at how that is. so in terms of being able to not have the lockdown, being able to not have the lockdown, being able to not have the lockdown, being able to test and trace and see, for example, who we have met, which contacts might be vulnerable, then that definitely is the route that the government is trying to take in order to get society working back in the way that it normally were. sophie hutchinson there, thank you. (pres)stay with us on bbc news as we wait for this evening's that's coming up in a few minutes.

welcome to viewers on bbc one, as we wait for the prime minister to lead today's coronavirus briefing from downing street. that's after his top advisor, dominic cummings, appeared in the rose garden at downing street a short while ago to give his reaction to all the controversy around his decision to travel hundreds of miles to his parents' home with his family during the lockdown. so, plenty for us during the lockdown. so, plenty for us to discuss. and it will be interesting, to say the least, to see what borisjohnson has to say following the statement by dominic cummings earlier. mr cummings, by

the way, pretty unrepentant, saying he had no regrets about the decision he had no regrets about the decision he had no regrets about the decision he had made, he didn't believe he had broken the rules, or the spirit of the rules, and he certainly hadn't considered resigning. so, there was clarity around his position, certainly, although, as we are beginning to hear, there are quite a few party colleagues of his and others who are less than happy with the message that he gave. so, we're waiting for the prime minister to appear. in the meantime, let's go to appear. in the meantime, let's go to downing street, and outside is oui’ to downing street, and outside is our political correspondent iain watson. iain, let's just our political correspondent iain watson. iain, let'sjust think our political correspondent iain watson. iain, let's just think about the kind of questions that the prime minister will face, following that statement by dominic cummings?” think undoubtedly, he is going to face the question of tone, of contrition, many people have been unable to see loved ones, some have lost loved ones, during the lockdown. he said he did not regret the way he had handled this, he had not offered his resignation, he did not offered his resignation, he did not intend to offer his resignation, and he said there were exceptional

circumstances in