‘ unrepentant, n‘“ 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 the rules which allowed him to effectively relocate along with his sick wife 250 miles, to durham. i'm really sorry, i am going to interrupt you because the prime minister is ready to speak. welcome to the underwear ten coronavirus press conference. before i turn to the announcement, i want to update you on the latest data. 3,000,530 tests have now been carried out in the uk, including 73,726 tests carried out yesterday. 261,184 people have tested positive, and that is an increase of 1625 cases since yesterday. 8834 people are in hospital with covid—19 in the uk, that is down 12% from 10,092 this time last week. and sadly, of

those who tested positive for coronavirus across all settings, 36,914 have now died. that is an increase of 121 fatalities since yesterday. and this new figure includes deaths in all settings, not just in hospitals. and once again, my deepest condolences go out to all those who have lost their loved ones before their time. we must, and we will not, forget them. two weeks ago, i set out our roadmap for the next phase in our fight against covid—19, and it's a cautious plan, informed by the evidence about what is safe, and it is conditional upon oui’ is safe, and it is conditional upon our continual progress against the virus, and we are making progress, thanks to this country's collective efforts, the key indicators are heading in the right direction. the

daily number of deaths is down, the number of new cases is down, our survey evidence suggests the infection rate is falling, and the r has not risen above one. so, just over two weeks ago, we moved to step one of our plan, encouraging those who are unable to work from home to go back to work, with new guidelines setting out how workplaces can be made covid secure. at the same time, we allowed people to spend more time outdoors and to meet one member of another household outside, provided they remain two metres apart. i also said we would be able to move to step two of our plan, no earlier than monday the 1st ofjune, a week today. we will set out our formal assessment of the five tests that we set for adjusting the lockdown later this week, as part of the three weekly review we are legally

required to undertake by thursday. but because of the progress we are making, ican, but because of the progress we are making, i can, with confidence, put the british people on notice of the changes we intend to introduce as we move into step two. and i think it's important to give that notice, so that people have sufficient time to adjust and get ready for those changes to come into effect. yesterday, i set out our intention to begin reopening nurseries and particular years in primary schools, reception, year one, year six, from the 1st ofjune, reception, year one, year six, from the 1st of june, followed reception, year one, year six, from the 1st ofjune, followed by some contact the 1st ofjune, followed by some co nta ct for the 1st ofjune, followed by some contact for those secondary school pupils with exams next year, from the 15th of june. pupils with exams next year, from the 15th ofjune. some contact for year ten and year 12 from the 15th ofjune, with their year ten and year 12 from the 15th of june, with their teachers year ten and year 12 from the 15th ofjune, with their teachers for this announcement has given schools, teachers and parents, clarity about

oui’ teachers and parents, clarity about our intentions, enabling them to prepare in earnest. the department for education is now engaging with teaching unions, councils and school leaders to help schools get ready. today, i want to give the retail sector notice of our intention is to reopen shops, so that they, too, can get ready. so, i can announce that it is our intention to allow outdoor markets to reopen from the 1st of june, subject to all premises being made covid secure, as well as car showrooms, which often have significant outdoor space, and where it is generally easier to apply social distancing. we know that the transmission of the virus is lower outdoors, and that it is easier to follow covid secure guidelines in open spaces. that means, we can also allow outdoor markets to reopen in a

safe way that does not risk causing a second wave of the virus. then, from the 15th ofjune, we intend to allow all other non—essential retail, ranging from department stores to small, independent shops, to reopen for again, this change will be contingent upon progress against the five tests and will only be permitted for those retail premises which are covid secure. today, we are publishing new guidance for the retail sector, detailing the measures they should ta ke to detailing the measures they should take to meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards. shops now have the time to implement this guidance before they reopen. and this will ensure there can be no doubt about what steps they should take. while the vast majority of businesses will want to do everything possible to protect their staff and customers, i should add

that we will of course have the powers that we need to enforce compliance where that is required. i wa nt compliance where that is required. i want people to be confident that they can shop safely provided they follow the social distancing rules for all premises. the food retail sector has already responded fa ntastically well, sector has already responded fantastically well, enabling supermarkets to be kept open in a safe way, and we will learn lessons from that experience as we allow other retail to open. these are careful but deliberate steps on the road to rebuilding our country. and we can only take these steps thanks to what we have so far achieved together. we will only be successful, we will only be successful, we will only be successful, if we all remember the basics. so, wash your hands, keep social distance and isolate if you have symptoms and get a test. i am 110w have symptoms and get a test. i am now going to hand over to yvonne doyle, the medical director of

public health england, to take us through today's slides. thank you, prime minister. so, we have several slides here, and the first one is about what's going on in the population. so, you can see here in the yellow circle that 0.25% of the population is the average proportion of the community that had the infection in a particular week, which was the 4th of may to the 17th of may. now, this work is produced through estimates but also through a household sampling survey undertaken by the office for national statistics. and that tells us also that 137,000 people in the community in that week were likely to have the infection. this is some time ago. in any week recently, 61,000 have been infected. there is a range in that, but that is a fairly stable figure. and that leads us to look at the

so—called reproduction of the virus between people. and you can see how that works. if the reproduction is three, then for every person, three others, and three more, and that becomes a very quick and fast in the community. however, if the reproduction is one, of course, much less so. if it is below one, even less so. if it is below one, even less tha n less so. if it is below one, even less than that. somebody meets several people before any transmission occurs, and this is good news, and at the moment, the estimate is that the reproduction is between 0.7 and one. could i have the next slide but so, this shows us the next slide but so, this shows us the testing, which is always of interest, and the testing at the moment shows, as the prime minister hasn't said, that 3.5 million tests have been done in total, and on a daily basis, recently, the tests have been around 73,000, 74,000. and correlating with that, we have the confirmed cases here, and the

confirmed cases here, and the confirmed cases here, and the confirmed cases on the 25th of may we re confirmed cases on the 25th of may were just over confirmed cases on the 25th of may werejust over 1600. and in confirmed cases on the 25th of may were just over 1600. and in total, that leaves us with 261,000, over 206 to 1000, tests, in that period, from the 21st of march to the 25th of may. but you can see the trend here is downwards. this is a seven—day rolling average, because we do have fewer tests confirmed and fewer tests ta ken. we do have fewer tests confirmed and fewer tests taken. so, the hospital data continued to give as good news, because this shows us really how many because this shows us really how r because this shows us really how many very ill people there could be in the community who need admission. and the number of admissions estimated with the disease on the 23rd of may was 595. that is daily. and that is down considerably. that's good news. but also, those who are most unwell in intensive

care, on mechanical ventilators, thatis care, on mechanical ventilators, that is a decline of 15% from the 17th of may. so, we now have 12% of people on mechanical ventilation. and you can see here the four countries showing broadly the same trend, in smaller numbers, that does vary, but you can see that it is a fairly firm downward trend. so, this is good news for the population. could i have the next slide, please? and then, we're looking at this by region, and there are regional variations and we can see here where london has a very distinctive curve, epidemic curve, and that is because london was first, really, to experience this epidemic in early to mid—march, and the other regions perhaps followed on, and the devolved administrations. so, that's mainly why you're seeing different patterns in the various regions. but the trend is mainly downwards. the

numbers are small in certain regions, such as in smaller in the south—west, of course, in wales, so there is perhaps more flatness there, but you can see in the areas where you have had a large number of cases, there is a definite downward trend. could i have the next slide, please? and sadly, here are the deaths. 121 deaths occurred on the 25th of may. this trend is also downwards, it's very welcome that the trend is downwards. it remains a very tragic event which really touches all of us everyday. however, ido want touches all of us everyday. however, i do want to point out that it does va ry i do want to point out that it does vary at weekends as well, and bank holidays may show a particular downward trend, but we need to be prepared that we are not quite through this yet, but altogether, 36,914 people have died from covid disease who have had a positive test. and i think that is the last

slide. thank you very much, yvonne, let's go to our questions from the public and the media. good afternoon. if uk travellers returning from abroad are going to be told they must self—isolate for 14 days, what actual capacity will exist for health officials to perform spot checks, and will the government be ensuring those people self—isolating received food and medical essentials during this time? well, thank you, i will go to yvonne for the ability of health officials to do spot checks in a minute. but what we're trying to do is to make sure that from the 8th ofjune, when the measures come into effect, that people... we no longer have people coming into this country who can as

it were reinfected the uk, after we made this huge effort to reduce infections and get the r down. so, thatis infections and get the r down. so, that is the reason for the quarantine system, we hope it will be bearable, we hope that people understand why it's necessary, and we will take every step to ensure that we make things as manageable as possible. i cannot tell you what provision we've yet made for people self—isolating, whether they will receive food and provisions, i think it is possibly, it would be reasonable to assume, as they come into the uk knowing the rules, that they will take steps to self—isolate somewhere where they can make sure that they are provided for, but obviously if they can't, then local authorities are ready to make sure that they are well looked after. yvonne, do you want to say anything about the spotchecks? thank you, prime minister. stuart, we've been

working hard over the recent months since we set up our contact tracing advisory service in march on a trial basis, and we are now working to connect that, and it will connect with the various places that people will need follow—up and support and contact tracing. now, we've had some experience of this, considerably, in the contain phase, betweenjanuary and march, where our colleagues were very much connected with the ports and the border force. we were able to ascertain people who were not well when they were coming in and to follow those up. and that system will continue to be the case, where people are unwell or we are concerned, then we would certainly wa nt to concerned, then we would certainly want to follow them up through our contact tracing service. we are working with one of the airports to look at other ways that perhaps checks can be done through the airport. it has to be effective, it isn't always possible to ascertain people who don't have symptoms who may be about to develop them. as far

as supporting people when they're actually isolating, we have got form in this in looking after people who are particularly vulnerable, those who are shielding and those who are not able to go out and get what they need, and that system, really, is one that needs to imbue into the follow—up of people who are very vulnerable. so, this system will be set up to connect maximally, and we will be testing that from june. let's go to clare from harpenden. the question is, since the restrictions have been lifted, there are large groups gathering in local parks, ignoring social distancing rules. when many of us are being so vigilant and staying alert, what can be done to discourage this disregard for the rules? i'm going to hand over to yvonne to talk about transmission outdoors, but let me just say that it is vital that all

of us continue to observe the rules on social distancing, and washing oui’ on social distancing, and washing our hands and making sure that if we have symptoms, we self—isolate and get a test as we go forward. the only reason we have been able to make as much progress as we have, the only reason i am able to announce that we are finally able to begin getting schools back, to begin getting retail back from the 1st of june, is because this country has observed the social distancing rules. so claire, feel free to speak to people yourself if you feel that they are not obeying the rules. but they are not obeying the rules. but the police will step in if necessary and encourage people to obey the law. prime minister, and claire, thank you for the prompt here to say that what we are doing going forward depends on the partnership between

the population and the unlocking process that we are trying to support to happen. this isn't about going back to the way everybody lived before. it is the responsibility socially to not go if u nwell responsibility socially to not go if unwell and to remember that this virus can reappear. therefore, it is important that people maintain the basic hygiene and distancing rules that are there. we are dependent on this on a voluntary basis. we want people to understand that this is the way we will be living for some time. thank you, yvonne. we go to the media now and laura kuenssberg of the bbc. thank you, prime minister. you promised people maximum transparency. you knew your chief advisor had gone against the spirit of the lockdown rules, whether driving 30 miles to a local beauty spot when he was in county durham, supposedly to test his eyesight, or not self—isolating straightaway when his wife had

symptoms. in fact, he returned to work at downing street when she had falle n work at downing street when she had fallen ill. dominic cummings would not express any regret about any of that this afternoon. do you? first of all, let me repeat what you heard earlier today, which is that it is true that i didn't know about any of the arrangements in advance. what did happen was while i was ill and about to get a lot sicker. we had a brief conversation in which i think dominic cummings mentioned where he was, at that stage i had a lot on my plate and didn't focus on the matter until the story started to emerge in the last few days. my answer to your question is, do i regret what has happened? yes, of course i regret the confusion and the anger and pain that people feel. as yvonne has just

been saying, this is a country that has been going through the most tremendous difficulties and suffering. and in the course of the last ten weeks, and that is why i wa nted last ten weeks, and that is why i wanted people to understand exactly what happened. you mentioned openness and transparency, laura. i thought it was important, and i tried yesterday to explain my version of what i heard from dominic cummings, but obviously i couldn't go into it in all the detail that i know you want to hear and that the public needed to hear. so that was where we had the statement and the extensive questions that we had today. thank you, laura. can we go today. thank you, laura. can we go to robert peston of itv news? good afternoon. you heard yesterday the

long account that dominic cummings gave us today of his reasons for driving 260 miles to durham. inevitably, it leaves some questions unanswered. he said his main reason for driving to durham was because of protests outside his house but of course, in full lockdown, the risk of those protests is reduced, perhaps to nil. so it seems a slightly odd reason. i wonder if you had asked him about that. secondly, his excursion to barnard castle, 30 miles, again seemingly breaking the rules, or to test his eyesight to see if he could drive back to london. but why didn't his wife, mary wakefield, who was better than he was, but back to london why didn't the government just lay on a car, given his importance? robert, you are a formidable journalist and those are very good questions. but i have to tell you that to the best of my knowledge, mr cummings hasjust subjected himself to your interrogation for quite a long time

about these detailed matters and has produced a substantial chunk of autobiography about what happened in the period from the 27th of march to the period from the 27th of march to the 14th of april. it would be wrong of me to comment further on what he said. people will have to make their minds up. he spoke at great length to me. he came across as somebody who cared very much about his family and was doing the best for his family. as he set himself, reasonable people may disagree about some of the decisions he took, but i don't think reasonable people can disagree about what was going through his head at the time and the motivations for those decisions. as i say, my conclusion is that he acted reasonably, legally and as i said yesterday, with integrity and with care for his family and for others. there's other questions,

direct, with respect, to mr cummings. and you had quite a go at that date. can we go to beth rigby from sky news? thank you. many people who also really love their families made huge sacrifices that you asked them to make in this national effort. and for many people, mr cummings' account of why he appeared to break lockdown rules simply won't be good enough. your own scientific advisers have said that by backing him, you are undermining your government's key public health message at a time of crisis. are you comprising the government 's response to this pandemic because you can't cope in numberten pandemic because you can't cope in number ten without mr cummings? thank you for that. the most important thing in all this is to repeat our message. you are right to dwell on that. the only reason we

can make progress as a country, the only reason we are able to get this disease under control, the only reason we have got the numbers of deaths down and the numbers of infections down so that we are in a position with our track and trace and isolate operation to deal with it is because people have obeyed the guidelines. you had an extensive opportunity to talk earlier and to hear about how a member of my staff tried to obey the guidelines, and i heard your questions then and i thought they were good. i can't add anything to those. people will have to make up their own minds. what i will say is that it is vital that people continue to observe the government's public health message and continue to observe the guidelines. one thing that is in danger of getting lost in much of this, and people think it is banal

that it bears repeating that the single best thing you can do to stop transmission of this virus and to prevent yourself being infected by it is to wash your hands repeatedly. iam afraid it is to wash your hands repeatedly. i am afraid that is one message that we are going to keep repeating throughout this crisis. thank you very much, beth. can we go to lucy fisher of the times? prime minister, is your backing for dominic cummings unconditional or if it does become clear that he is undermining compliance with public health messaging, are you prepared to revisit this decision?” messaging, are you prepared to revisit this decision? i can't give any unconditional backing to anybody, but i do not believe the anybody, but i do not believe the anybody number ten has done anything to undermine our messaging. what we wa nt to to undermine our messaging. what we want to make clear to the public is that the only way to solve this problem is if we stay alert, follow

the guidelines, control the virus and save lives. that has been immensely effective so far. we are coming now to a more difficult change of gears. we are going to be reopening some retail and then more retail over the coming months. we are asking schools gradually to reopen. it is vital in this period that we continue to observe social distancing, washing our hands, isolating ourselves if we have symptoms. i know that the common—sense of the british people will get us through it. could we go to rowena mason of the guardian, please? prime minister, are you expecting millions of people around the country to believe that dominic cummings needed to take a 60 mile round trip to a local beauty spot with his wife and child just to test

his eyesight? secondly, at least 20 conservative mps, senior clergy, scientists, medics, lawyers and many constituents from across the political spectrum all believe mr cummings should quit for his actions. are they all wrong? well, i can't go back over what you have heard this afternoon. but on the point about eyesight, i find i heard this afternoon. but on the point about eyesight, ifind i have to wear spectacles for the first time in years, i think because of the effects of this thing. so i am inclined to think that is very plausible, that eyesight can be a problem associated with coronavirus. on your point about credibility and people asking for resignations, i understand why people may wish to

see resignations, but i think people will make up their minds about what mrcummings had to will make up their minds about what mr cummings had to say. i note that the guardian, i think on saturday, had a headline which was "police spoke to cummings about lockdown". as far as spoke to cummings about lockdown". as farasi spoke to cummings about lockdown". as far as i know, that is simply not the case. it is important for us all to stick to the facts as far as we can, rowena. coming to sam lister of the express? prime minister, dominic cummings that mistakes had been made in the handling of the coronavirus crisis, but it was for the government to explain. i am sure he must have discussed this with you. i wonder if you could tell us what they are? and in your announcement today, many people will be pleased that shops are reopening. we do encourage people who are financially able to get out and spend to revive

the economy? sam, the short answer is yes. insofar as people can get out and enjoy themselves in the open airfrom the 1st of out and enjoy themselves in the open air from the 1st ofjune as they can make use of open—air shopping and car showrooms, i'm not going to discourage them from spending at all. it's early days, but we are hoping there will be a bounce back over the next few months. so the short answer to your question is yes. and the first question? forgive me, the first question? on the mistakes made during the coronavirus crisis. oh! oh, yes, thank you. i saw that dominic referred to mistakes. the reality is that this

isa mistakes. the reality is that this is a country in a government that has, like every other government around the world, been trying to cope with an unprecedented virus, a plague that has had economic, social, behavioural, psychological and health consequences unlike anything we have seen in the last 70 years. and it has obliged us as a country to impose restrictions, to ask people to do things in a way that didn't even happen during the second world war. it has been an extraordinary time for this country. for any government to say that it hasn't learned anything as it goes along and doesn't think there are important ways in which we wouldn't wa nt to important ways in which we wouldn't want to prepare better for the next time, of course that would be folly to say that. but what i would say, sam, is when i look at what this country has achieved in getting the virus under control, in protecting

the nhs, stopping that from being overwhelmed, making sure every patient had a ventilated bed, and that was the real threat that we saw at the beginning, wrapping our arms around every worker in this country with the furlough scheme, again, something completely unlike anything other countries have done, and achieved at record speed by hmrc and our civil service, i really think, when i look at what local authorities, national government, the civil service and the nhs have achieved over the last ten weeks, we have a great cause to be very proud of the way those public servants have responded. there will still be challenges ahead, i have no doubt, but we will continue to learn and improve where we can every step of the way in a spirit of humility.

thank you all of you very much for listening this evening. studio: there we are, the scene alive in downing street, boris johnson leading the news conference this evening, with yvonne doyle, the expert who was with him. and just interesting there to see the prime minister repeatedly saying that dominic cummings, his top advisor, had given a comprehensive explanation of his decision to drive to durham during the lockdown and repeating the defence, really, that he put up yesterday, the prime minister, that is, in regard to dominic cummings, who has been under relentless attack, really, after the news of that journey relentless attack, really, after the news of thatjourney broke, and the circumstances. but as we will have gathered from a lot of the questions, there are lots of answers still being looked for. our political correspondent in downing street is iain watson. iain, we were just chatting briefly before the news co nfe re nce just chatting briefly before the news conference started, what did you make of it, just in terms of the dominic cummings material first?”

thought the interesting thing, huw, was that we were speculating yesterday on why the prime minister himself was acting as a human shield for dominic cummings, fronting up the explanations on his behalf. i can now see why he had dominic cummings giving the explanations that he had given privately to the prime minister publicly to the press and to the wider country, because it allows boris johnson simply and to the wider country, because it allows borisjohnson simply to say, you've interrogated him earlier, we don't have to talk about it further, as far as don't have to talk about it further, as faras i'm don't have to talk about it further, as far as i'm concerned, nobody in no 10 did anything to undermine the health guidance that we were given. that was his verdict. so, he didn't get engaged in some of the questions that still seem to be outstanding. if, for example, dominic cummings was worried about the welfare of his wife and his child, he took them 250 miles or so wife and his child, he took them 250 miles orso up wife and his child, he took them 250 miles or so up to county durham to self—isolate, why did he then subsequently take them on a 30 mile journey to barnard castle, when he was worried about his eyesight, and when the prime minister said he did

think actually that the eyesight was a problem with coronavirus. so, was he potentially putting them in danger then? obviously, his accusers, his opponents, would say he was breaking the rules because he was engaged in non—essential travel. he said, no, actually, he was effectively testing the water before having to do a much longer drive, a five—hour drive, back to london. but borisjohnson would not be drawn on that, asked again about whether there was unconditional support for dominic cummings, he said, there is no unconditional support for anyone, but he didn't believe dominic cummings or indeed anyone else in no 10 had done anything wrong, and again he repeated what he was saying yesterday, that he believed that dominic cummings' actions were justifiable, he had acted with integrity and what he had done was reasonable. the other thing he was asked to do, which dominic cummings didn't do, remember, huw, was to express regret. he was asked did he have any regrets over the actions he

took? he was asked had he offered to resign? he answered no to both of those. what burridge and was saying was that of course he regretted how people felt about this, he recognised the sacrifices that people had made —— borisjohnson —— but he felt that he had been reassured by hearing dominic cummings' full explanation, which the prime minister was himself given yesterday, and he felt that we ought to have the details. but as you said i think some questions still remain about dominic cummings. on the one hand, cabinet ministers and some backbenchers are now saying it is time to move on and rebuild the country. that's what the prime minister was trying to do with some of the other announcements. but some conservative mps have contacted me and they seem to less sure, some some still say they believe he should go, and others are saying, let's see what the next set of opinion polls look like and let's see what my constituents are saying. ina see what my constituents are saying. in a sentence, if i may, iain, because we're battling against the clock, is it your sense, given you

have spoken to, that he is under less pressure tonight, dominic cummings, than he was yesterday? yes, i think he has got a bit of breathing space, he is under less pressure. some of those questions that are outstanding, if they come up that are outstanding, if they come up again, then i think the pressure will be reapplied. no direct pressure applied by the opposition yet, let's see what labour say on this. although the liberal democrats have said that because of the lack ofan have said that because of the lack of an explicit apology, he should go. but i do get the sense that things are easing a bit, people are beginning to give him the benefit of the doubt, and we will wait to see how this settles with the public. iain watson, thanks for the latest analysis. the prime minister did make some announcements in terms of easing the lockdown further in england, to do with shops and outdoor markets and car showrooms and the rest of it. our business correspondent katie prescott is with me. just talk us through the latest steps that the prime minister has outlined, and when they are likely

to ta ke outlined, and when they are likely to take place. this is really good news for shoppers, and particularly for retailers, who have been having a really difficult time even before the lockdown started, and they've been missing out on months of business. he said that from the 1st ofjune, car showrooms will open and outdoor markets and then from the 15th ofjune, that is when department stores and a small independent retailers will open as well. but they will look a bit different to the shops that we had before the lockdown. the british retail consortium has been issuing guidance to retailers about this, saying they are going to have to look at what the supermarkets have done during the pandemic in terms of changing how they operate. so, looking at the number of people who go into stores, the directions they are allowed to walk in. and the prime minister said in the press conference that is going to be one of the key things — premises need to be secure, retail shops, for people to go into. important to underline briefly as well if we can, katie, that these are lactations that are limited to england, and we still await any relaxations, i know the

first ministers in scotland and wales have said some things, but we are still awaiting more news from the other nations? that's absolutely right. this is devolved so these things are happening in the nations in different ways. i think scotland and wales and northern ireland will be looking at what is happening in england and it will be interesting to see how the next few weeks a pan out and how retailers have to change what they do in order to open safely. katie prescott, thank you very much. just to recap, earlier today, boris johnson's very much. just to recap, earlier today, borisjohnson's most senior aide, dominic cummings, has said that he does not regret driving his wife and young son 200 and 60 miles from london. he has said that he has no regrets at all. we will have more for you at ten here on bbc one, but for you at ten here on bbc one, but for now, thanks for watching, and no sicher there will be more on the bbc news channel throughout the evening as we progress with the reaction to

the story. thanks for watching and see you later. asi as i was saying earlier today, the prime minister's most senior aide, dominic cummings, saying he does not regret driving his wife and young son 260 miles during the lockdown. ina son 260 miles during the lockdown. in a lengthy statement in downing street, he told reporters he had believed he was acting reasonably and within the law when he made that trip in march, he also said he was concerned for his family's health and safety in london. the truth was that i'd argued for lockdown, i had not opposed it. these stories have created a better atmosphere around my home. i was subjected to threats of violence, there were posts on social media encouraging attacks. there were many reports on tv showing pictures of my

house. i was also worried that, given the severity of this emergency, this situation would get worse, and i was worried about the possibility of leaving my wife and child home all day while i worked at number ten. i thought the best thing to do with all the circumstances was to do with all the circumstances was to drive to an isolated cottage on my father's farm. at this farm, my pa rents my father's farm. at this farm, my parents live in one house, my sister and her children live into house... my and her children live into house... my tentative conclusion on friday evening was this — if we are both unable to look after our child, then my sister and nieces can look after him. my nieces are 17 and 20, old enough to look after him, but also young enough to be in the safe category, and who had extremely kindly volunteered to do so if needed. but i thought, if i do not develop symptoms and there is a testing regime in place at work, i could return to work if i tested negative. in that situation i could leave my wife and child behind in a

safe place. safe in the form of support for family, safe in the sense of being away from home which had become a target, and also say for everybody else because they were com pletely for everybody else because they were completely isolated on a farm and could not infect anybody. contrary to some media reports, there are no neighbours. the nearest other home is roughly half a mile away. so in this scenario, i thought they could stay there for a few weeks and i can go back to work, help colleagues and everybody, including the general public would be safe. 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 myjudgement about things like this and decide what to discuss with him. i thought that i would speak to him when the situation clarified over the next few days, including whether i had symptoms and whether there were tests available. arguably this was a mistake, and! tests available. arguably this was a mistake, and i understand that some will say i should have spoken to the prime minister before deciding what

to do. so i drove the three of us out to durham that night, roughly arriving at midnight. i did not stop on the way. when i woke the next morning, saturday, 28 march, iwas in pain and clearly had covert symptoms, including a bad headache and serious fever. clearly i could not return to work anytime soon. for a day or two, we were both ill. i was in bed, my wife was ill but not to where she needed emergency help. i got worse, she got better. during the night of thursday, the 2nd of april, my child woke up. either up and had a bad fever. he was very distressed. we took medical advice which was to call 999. an ambulance was sent. they assessed my child and said he must go to hospital. i could barely stand up. my wife went with the amulets, i stayed home. barely stand up. my wife went with the amulets, istayed home. he stayed the night in the hospital. in the morning, my wife called to say he'd recovered, seemed back to normal, doctors had tested him for

covid and said he should return home. there were no taxis. there we re home. there were no taxis. there were no taxis. i drove to the hospital, picked them up, then returned home. i did not leave the car or have any contact with anybody at any point on this short trip. the hospitals, maybe five miles away. a few days later, the hospital said he tested negative. on sunday, 12 april, 15 days after i had first displayed symptoms, i decided to return to work. my wife was very worried, particularly given my eyesight had seemed to be affected by the disease. she did not want to risk the nearly 300 mile drive with our child given how ill i had been. we agreed we should go on a short drive to see if i can drive safely. we drove for roughly half an hour and ended up on the grounds of barn

at castle town. we did not walk around the town. we parked by a river. my wife and i discussed the situation and we agreed i could drive safely, we should turn around and go home. ifelt a bit sick. we walked about 10—15 metres from the car to the river bank nearby. we sat there for about 15 minutes. we had no interactions with anybody. i felt better, we returned it to the car. an elderly gentleman walking nearby appeared to recognise me. my wife wished him a happy easterfrom appeared to recognise me. my wife wished him a happy easter from a distance, but we had no other interaction. we headed home. on the way home, our child needed the toilet. he was in the back—seat of the car. we pulled over to the side of the road. my wife and child jumped out into the woods of the road. they were briefly outside, i brieflyjoined them. they played for a little bit, and that i got out of the car, went outside. we were briefly in the woods. we saw some people at a distance, but at no

point did we break any social distancing rules. we then got back in the carand distancing rules. we then got back in the car and went home. we agreed that if i continued to approve come within the next day we should return to london and i would go back to work. we returned to london on the evening of monday, 13 april, easter monday. i went back to work at number ten the next morning. at no point during leaving durham did any of us three enter my parents are sister's house. our only exchange is where shouted conversations at a distance. i can understand that some people were argue i should've stayed at my home in london throughout. i understand these views. i know of the intense hardship and sacrifice of the 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, including those that i found myself in. ithought, and i think including those that i found myself in. i thought, and i think today, that the rules, including those involving small children in extreme

circumstances, allowed me to exercise extreme judgement about the situation and found myself in, including the way that my london home had become a target. i excepted of course that there is room for reasonable 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 was told i could return to work and employ child care. i think it was reasonable to make a short journey before embarking think it was reasonable to make a shortjourney before embarking on a five hour drive to see whether i was inafit 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 to work and contribute to the government cosmic efforts. i believe i made the right judgement, though i can understand that others may disagree with that. i've explained all the above to the prime minister. at some point during the first week where we were both sick and in bed, i mentioned it to him what i had done. unsurprisingly, given the condition we were in,

neither of us remember the conversation in any detail. that was dominic cummings, a rather unusual site earlierfor special dominic cummings, a rather unusual site earlier for special advisers to be holding their own news conference in downing street because that was in the back garden of downing street happening at 4:30pm this afternoon. for those of you joining us, quite a long, detailed statement as you would have gathered there, although he readily acknowledged that some people would not agree with the reasoning. let's remind ourselves of some of the key points from that news co nfe re nce some of the key points from that news conference earlier. a couple of hours later, we got some words from borisjohnson, the hours later, we got some words from boris johnson, the prime hours later, we got some words from borisjohnson, the prime minister who, yesterday of course, had been defending dominic cummings to the hilt and today at the news conference, he was basically saying that he said what he said and he

thinks he acted reasonably. he began by confirming, mrjohnson, that there had been a further 121 coronavirus related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 36,914 in the uk. he then went on to praise the country's collective efforts, saying the key indicators are heading in the key indicators are heading in the right direction, and he signposted us the next set of restrictions that will be eased confirming the government ends for outdoor markets in car showrooms to open on the 1st ofjune. then from 15 tojune, open on the 1st ofjune. then from 15 to june, the open on the 1st ofjune. then from 15 tojune, the government intends to allow all other nonessential retail to open, but only premises that are covid—19 secure, and responding to questions about his chief adviser that i mentioned just now, borisjohnson said he regretted the confusion and anger caused by the confusion and anger caused by the row. he was asked specifically if he regretted what dominic

cummings had done, but his answer was, "i regret the anger that has caused people, and he said people would have to make up their own minds about his trip to county durham during the lockdown. so that isa summary durham during the lockdown. so that is a summary of what mr cummings said and what mrjohnson said after that, and i'm sure the debate will be continuing throughout the next few days, and certainly online where lots of people are reacting to the state m e nts lots of people are reacting to the statements made by mr cummings and the prime minister in the past couple of hours or so. another aspect of this crisis, this coronavirus pandemic is that this concern that demand on children's social services in england would be increasing, as vulnerable children come out of the lockdown. social workers have tried keeping in contact with those who are already known to them, but limited access to some children during the pandemic could mean that they have been suffering abuse and neglect or harm behind closed doors. our education

and for dominic this homeless youth shelter in north yorkshire is looking after some of the area's most vulnerable people. young people who would otherwise be on the streets during lockdown — now all living under one roof together. including this teenager who we are calling jen. my mum was a big alcoholic, a big druggie. she had a meltdown about it and didn't want anything to do with us. jen moved to her grand's, but can stay during the pandemic. desperate for somewhere to live, or social workers brought her here where she met 18—year—old amelia. she became homeless and lockdown following a family breakdown. amelia says any support long 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

moments where i would completely break down, iwould be in moments where i would completely break down, i would be in tears on the floor. i didn't think that was fairfor my the floor. i didn't think that was fair for my younger brother to walk into a room and find his sister on the floor crying her eyes out. i was so the floor crying her eyes out. i was so torn up about the breakdown that happened with my family. the hostel is working closely with the services to make sure these young people are safe. they got a safe bet here, they're better off than some people. without actions to the outside world, you probably fear for those people more. it is a fear shared by many. in east london, socialworkers or video calling the children they know about. hey, it's dan, the social worker. some know about. hey, it's dan, the socialworker. some making home visits for the cancer pillow i spoke to her mum and she said she's feeling anxious at the moment, so i'll stay outside. talking through windows from gardens or behind closed doors. it is 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 kyle's micro—calls. normally he's happy and upbeat and engaged, but there were lots of 1—word answers and glances off—screen. so i'm doing a surprise visit. there are concerns some are using isolation to use the microsoft contact altogether. we have some families who are quick to tell us that they were isolating with a cough or temperature. and for us, sometimes we were at 100% sure that the children really had symptoms or they were trying to avoid a social worker coming into the home. social workers like marianne are going out across the country trying to find creative ways to stay in touch with children. but there are concerns about what's happening to those young people who are not in touch with social services. abuse and harmless will be going on, as well the young people exploitation and cou nty the 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 some point 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. and some of the doctors on the front line of the nhs came to the uk as refugees, and they are unable to help in their own conflicts, or homes because of their conflicts, or homes because of their conflict there. the bbc‘s fergal keane has been to meet syrian doctors in manchester, who say they are working in hospitals in britain to repay some of the kindness and generosity that they've received since arriving in the country. 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 oldham 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 ahmad and studying for the exams that will allow him to practice in britain. 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. ahmad 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? our good fortune, syria's tragedy. fergal keane, bbc news, manchester. more coverage continuing here on bbc news. but now it's time for a look at the weather, and it's chris. hello there. in the afternoon sunshine, it felt warm. the highest temperature was in the tending to an area of greater london at 21 celsius, just into the 80s in terms of fahrenheit. but for northern ireland and scotland, it is cloudy through the afternoon with outbreaks of rain as this area of cloud worked its way in. this front will continue to push south we southeastward overnight. it could be a little bit of patchy rain getting into wales in northern england but not really amounting to much. for many of us to become dry overnight with temperatures 10—14dc. not tomorrow, mild start of the day with more clout in the sky for england and

wales. some of you might be some some surprise first thing. top temperature is around 25 celsius, sunshine returns to northern ireland, scotland in northern england. here you'll feel pleasantly warm with highs of 20 celsius. that's your weather.

this is outside source on bbc news for viewers in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest developments and analysis here in britain and globally. the uk prime minister's top aide dominic cummings insists he won't resign and defends driving hundreds of kilometres during the height of the lockdown. no, i have not offered to resign. umm... did you ever consider it? no, i have not considered it. president trump commemorates fallen us veterans on memorial day,