downing street said this was inaccurate.insisted we will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about mrcummings from campaigning newspapers. the government had spent yesterday defending his decision to travel 260 miles to the north—east in march after his wife became unwell, rather than staying at home in london. it said he feared he would become ill and the couple wanted to ensure their young child could be properly cared for. he stayed in a house near his extended family in case his sister and nieces needed to help out. it's a question of doing the right thing. it's not about what you guys think. the government's guidance on self isolation says if you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus then you must stay at home for at least seven days. but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for m days. ministers insist mr cummings acted legally and reasonably. what most people will probably be thinking watching this

let us go to downing street.dominic cummings is still inside, talking to be prime minister. it is not clear who is going to be making any statement for the government today. grant shapps was doing the morning political shows here, no comment from boris johnson himself. our political correspondent iain watsonjoins me now. these things tend to have a certain inevitability about them. where are we? if somebody becomes a story over a 10—day period, they effectively go. this is day three of dominic cummings, but the story of mps talking privately is that tomorrow they are going to talk about easing lockdown restrictions. if questions are still there about what dominic cummings did and didn't do, that would overshadow the governmental message, but more than that, because they are talking about using restrictions, to do so they have to get control and we have to have people all over the guidelines. i'm sure all this is being discussed, in terms of what it looks like with dominic cummings not following them. we got priva

yon it is the official word of downing street. who does the official word of downing street?ime minister and this is an official statement on behalf of downing street. we have got interesting... we have got a senior member of the cabinet coming in behind dominic cummings but there are other voices of concern even on tory backbenchers and the tory side of the house. yes, there has been a lot of activity on there has been a lot of activity on the opposition side about raising concerns about this. on the conservative side we had the former conservative mp david millington who said that the he wanted to look at the detail of this but that there might be questions to be answered. it is going to rumble on for a bit, it won't end here. thank you so much for bringing us up to speed. let's speak to alistair campbell, who have course was a senior speak to alistair campbell, who have course was a senior adviser to tony blair. alistair, what do you make of what we have heard this morning in defence of dominic cummings's actions? i don't think he has a defence and what you are seeing is a

but downing street, you say broke the rules, but downing street are clear saying his actions were inthese newspaper stories are false allegations. i don't know whether you've read the story but a couple of weeks ago mary wakefield, dominic cummings' wife wrote an article in the spectator describing the families experience with the covid—19 virus. in that story in that article for the spectator, there was not one mention of the trip to durham. why was there not one mention of the trip to durham in that piece? i think it's because they know, even if they won't admit it now, dominic cummings and mary no they weren't acting in the spirit or in the legal force of the rules. so i think that article in itself portrays what they really think about what they should have done in the circumstances. let's focus on the circumstances. let's focus on the politics of this, though, because how much does borisjohnson need dominic cummings as his chief adviser? how reluctant will he be to fire him? that is the heart of it, actually. one of my concerns about the downing street operation for a long time

the rose garden in downing street, much better known for being where john in downing street, much better being wherejohn major once stood up to his critics, where of course the coalition was launched between nick clegg for the liberal democrats and david cameron, but having an adviser sitting there answering questions is very unusual. that is the point, dominic cummings does not do things in the normal way. he says things which he knows will get attention, but up till now he hasn't cared about that. this is different because it's about his family, his wife and son so it is a very different situation for him to be in. he can answer those critics by speaking for himself. vicki vicki young, many thanks. let's just recap the events that have brought us to this point. this is what we know so far about mr cummings' movements. the uk was placed into lockdown with strict limitation on travel on march the 23rd. the last time mr cummings was seen before developing covid symptoms was on the 27th of march. 0n the 31st of march, durham police were made aware of reports that an individual travelled fr

of course whatever they say at this downing street press co nfe re nce they say at this downing streete weekend, all overshadowed by the dominic has been the case over the weekend, all overshadowed by the dominitfl will be an awkward how far for matt hancock because we've had several more conservative mps coming up today to say that dominic cummings should resign or be sacked after that news conference that he helped in the garden at downing street around this time yesterday afternoon. it does not appear to have drawn a line under the saga as downing street had hoped. i think forup to 33 downing street had hoped. i think for up to 33 or so tory mps now saying dominic cummings should resign, clearly lots of them getting correspondence from constituents. here is the downing street daily briefing. good afternoon and welcome to downing street for the daily coronavirus briefing. i'm joined by professorjohn newton, the test and trace coordinator. before i provide an update on the work we're doing to combat coronavirus i would like to update you on the latest figures. total 3,691,295 tests hav

downing street denied reports tonight dominic cummings had returned to downing street from london lasthere is a claim on the observer dominic cummings was seenin the observer dominic cummings was seen ina the observer dominic cummings was seen in a beauty spot about 30 miles from durham when he was apparently self—isolating. iain is here. lots of outstanding questions tonight for mr cummings. labour are pointing to an apparent inconsistency, a downing street statement saying dominic cummings stayed in a property separate from his parents but nearby in the durham area. durham police in a new statement tonight say that he was self—isolating in part of his father's property. they are also calling for the top civil servant in the country to launch an investigation. it would be quite easy to see this as a bit of a westminster bubble story that downing street will be hoping will bear sooner or later with allegations and counter allegations between government officials. the bigger story here is the credibility of the government's and guidance because a cabinet minister today said that guidanc

so while downing street said on saturday that no conversation had ta ken street said on saturday thaten place with the family around coronavirus guidelines now does look like it may be accurate. meanwhile, durham police now have the task of trying to investigate exactly what dominic cummings and his family did while they were there. the police and crime commissioner steve whyte has firstly asked them to restore trust in the policing in durham by making sure they get to the bottom of the fa cts sure they get to the bottom of the facts of what happened and what dominic cummings‘ family did when and what the policing response to that was. and durham police have also made it clear that they have had further complaints from the public and they are examining those complaints and deciding what action to take, all of which goes back to what they are looking up as a possible breach of the health protection guidelines, which have a maximum fine, if paid early, of £60. durham police are in a tricky position because this is an explosive political story, however you look at it. it is the prime min

labour is demanding a swift explanation from downing street.tion from a source close to mr cummings is that the journey was so that his parents could help with childcare whilst he and his wife, unwell with covid symptoms, stayed in a separate building. the source denied that mr cummings had broken lockdown rules or that police spoke to him. in a statement, durham constabulary said that officers had explained to the family the guidance on self isolation and essential travel. earlier this month, professor neil ferguson quit his role on the government's scientific advisory committee, sage, after the telegraph reported he had been visited by his married lover during lockdown. doctor catherine calderwood resigned as scotland's chief medical officer last month after making two trips to her second home. jessica parker, bbc news. ed davey is the acting leader of the liberal democrats. the prime minister needs to make a statement he is responsible for his special advisers, he needs to get an explanation. i am surprised that he didn't know at the time, i

in the meantime, let's go to downing street, and outside is oui’ to downing street, and outside is ourspondent 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

interesting we have seen downing street and lots of ministers defending mrcummings street and lots ofng the opposite, that actually, he did rate lockdown rules or at least he bent them very significantly and he needs to resign. —— he did break lockdown rules. you are right, essentially, the reaction of these conservative mps are that the government will have a problem of authority and trust. one rule for the country and another for senior memos of the administration. what is your hunch? do think you will resign voluntarily or pushed out by boris johnson will resign voluntarily or pushed out by borisjohnson or does the prime ministerfeel he out by borisjohnson or does the prime minister feel he needs out by borisjohnson or does the prime ministerfeel he needs him to much and he is too important to the prime minister and to the downing street machine? i have been doing this for too long to put hunches on—air, but i guess that the way to look at it is the rather brutal choice facing the prime minister, which i guess could be reduced in its simplest terms to this. does he hold on to domin

cues we see down the high street, certainly down my high streets, people in the shops, i guess they willing for this, obviously, this is some weeks away when this is going to happen. asl away when this is going to happen. as i understand it they spent yesterday in downing street trying to figure all of the interesting things they could possibly announce this weekjust to try and knock dominic cummings off as many front pages as possible. of, the shop stray, and the other papers have really gazed into this fall section. let's go to the daily telegraph which is the same economic story. open high street —— do trust through the edges of the word normality? i think we are somewhere off normality in my opinion. even when these shops have opened, they will still be quite strict social distancing measures in place, and what is very important in an area where i would see the government —— love to see the government rocks into measures somewhat as the fact that they maintain the two metre rule, which in practice will have a huge impact on the operations of retail outlets, because in practice, it wi

nick eardley at downing street.llege london. hello to you and thanks for being with us. 0bviously, lots of criticism of mr cummings on the journey he is supposed to have made. his behaviour, how could that have caused a problem in terms of the spread of the virus? so, much of the conversation today has been about whether or not dominic cummings and his family could have potentially transmitted the virus either on the journey or once they arrived in durham, and that, of course, is an important factor epidemiologically because they could spread the infection to other people in a different part of the country. however, in my opinion, this is also a bit ofa however, in my opinion, this is also a bit of a distraction because the effect of any one person is quite minor. the more important thing is the message it is sending out. the lockdown has been very successful in flattening the curve and diminishing the current epidemic, but this is because people have been thinking in a community minded way and beating the virus tog

outside number 10 downing street.. former adviser to theresa may. and also alex two, former adviser to david cameron. jerryjones, first of all, you watched it all, what did you make of that, was that a convincing performance, do you think, from dummett cummings? it was clearly a difficult experience for him, it was very long and nobody could doubt the fa ct very long and nobody could doubt the fact that he did answer every single question that was put to him. i think it will have bought him some time and you could see that the chief whip and other senior figures within the conservative party, showing a lead, that they now hope that other mps will follow, in terms of saying that this was a persuasive argument from dominic cummings. i do wonder how much of this could have been avoided, though, if he had not just answered some straightforward questions rather earlier. he blames the media, clearly feels very aggrieved about a bunch of stories that he you are false. well, you only have to think back, for example, to alasta

we knew it was ours and hours in downing street.e point of this is that it explores the relationship between johnson point of this is that it explores the relationship betweenjohnson and cummings, but also the role of ministerand cummings, but also the role of minister and advisor and the power balance therein. now, you have to, if you are in charge, be prepared to sack someone, be prepared to give them marching orders. but if that is something you struggle with, and you invest that attribute, you give someone that power on your behalf, as she suggests that boris does, mr cummings is there to do the stacking on his behalf, because he doesn't like to do it, then who do you turn to when it is on you, when mr johnson is faced with that dilemma, and he has to do the sacking? so if this is a fundamental character flaw, it has really been shown up by this incident. the prime minister not wanting to confront might be useful in some situations and possibly not in others. moving onto the times, which is pretty sympathetic in its headline, cu

downing street denied reports tonight dominic cummings had returned to downing street from london last there is a claim on the observer dominic cummings was seen in a beauty spot about 30 miles from durham when he was apparently self—isolating. this isn't just about this isn'tjust about dominic cummings but about the guidelines to follow. and why the rules to new street apply to downing street. with more on those fresh allegations in the observer and sunday mirror, i've been speaking to our correspondent, nick beake. the first claim i was easter sunday so if we cast our minds back to april the 12th, someone has told the newspaper that mr cummings and his family were in fact 30 miles from the property in durham where he was apparently self isolating. before hand the assumption was he had been there. at this particular location 30 miles away and robin leach who is a retired chemistry teacher told the two newspapers he was gob smacked to see the top number ten aid they are on easter sunday. i was able to talk to him this evening and he said yes, he stands by what he told the newspapers. a

labour and the snp say he clearly broke the guidelines, and he works in downing street.they are interested in who knew about it at the time. the prime minister had advised and approved the visit to county durham by his adviser, but we did not get an answer to that. we got an answer that the prime minister has full confidence in dominic cummings and he was aware he was self isolating but it's not clear to me whether he was aware he was self isolating in durham rather than london. nonetheless, it is those issues that the opposition want to push but quite frankly they want to keep the pressure on the government because they think they are vulnerable and borisjohnson‘s trusted adviser. the british government is facing more questions over its plans to introduce a 14—day quarantine for people arriving in the uk. from 8thjune, travellers will have to self—isolate for two weeks and could face fines of £1,000 if they break the rules. france has said that visitors arriving from the uk will also have to self—isolate for m days from the same date. airlines and travel companies are w

labour and the snp say he clearly broke the guidelines, and he works in downing street. they are interested in you knew about it at the time. the prime minister had advised and approved the visit to county durham by his adviser, but we did not get an a nswer to adviser, but we did not get an answer to that. we got an answer that the prime minister has full confidence in dominic cummings and he was aware he was self isolating but it's not clear to me whether he was aware he was self isolating and talent rather than london. nonetheless, it is those issues that the opposition want to push but quite frankly they want to keep the pressure on the government because they think they are vulnerable in they think they are vulnerable in the and borisjohnson‘s trusted adviser. the labour leader of durham county council, simon henig, joins us now. what is your view of what it wants eve ryo ne what is your view of what it wants everyone affected by coronavirus.” do think the government advice has been very clear on self isolating at home for those with symptoms right from march onward

the start of our we were talking about earlier as you push one group down one street and another down another street and they are basically continuing that strategy so we are going to walk along. i got to keep looking backwards because i've been in these situations before and just because you're holding a microphone doesn't mean you have any kind of immunity to what the police department is doing so we want to make sure we are following their guidelines and instructions as well. the police continue to walk down this area so we are getting further and further away city hall in downtown san jose, if we can spin the camera around we can see how the crowd is dispersing, some people, we have twcars right here that were in traffic out with their cell phones recording what's going on because we've got people recording and you better come toward me, vince. that was another flash bang grenade that just went off near our heads. we're going to continue to walk this way, they definitely mean business so were going to continue walking with the crowd and we are actually going to get up on the sidew

thank you very much. is in downing street. 0ur chief political correspondent, vicki young is in downingat 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

downing street haven't responded to this at all yet.risjohnson himself was one of those people who knew where dominic cummings was because he himself was ill at the time. is there a charge of hypocrisy, that many people —— various people were having to resign... why it matters is that we we re resign... why it matters is that we were in these lockdown restrictions at the time, the government said how important it was that we observe them. we are coming at a point now where we are nine weeks into lockdown restrictions. people are feeling angry and they are feeling upset that they haven't been able to see family and have had to stay at home. i think that is part of the reason it is so important now, particularly as the government is saying this is a pivotal moment of the pandemic when they still want us to observe lockdown rules, the worry is that people think there is more flexibility than i thought and therefore i can sort of chip away at those. those are the worries around it, around the fact it has emerged at this time. and also, was

downing street has also denied that mrcummings or his downing street has also denied that mr cummingsly were spoken to about this by police. earlier this month, professor neil ferguson quit his role on the government's scientific advisory committee stage after the telegraph reported he had broken lockdown rules by allowing his married lover to visit him at home. catherine calderwood resigned as scottish health adviser after visiting her second home twice. labour has said the country deserves answers. either way, more questions are likely to be asked. helen is with me now. what reaction has there been? yes, we have had the development through the morning and most recently dominic cummings actually defending himself, as you saw there. the reaction to this has been that labour doesn't sound convinced. they say that the downing street statement raises more questions than answers. in particular they say they're still unclear about who knew about this decision and when and whether this was sanctioned by the prime minister oi’ was sanctioned by the prime minister or not. also points to the i

downing street have said dominic cummings acted reasonably and legally. going to resign and he doesn't care how it looks, what is your response to that? that is an extraordinary look from dominic cummings to say he doesn't care how it looks. he is the senior adviser to the prime minister, the architect of much of the policy of the government. it is clear as mud this man has broken the guidelines the government put in place. he has to accept responsibility for his actions. the prime minister has questions that he has to answer. he wasn't at the press c0 nfe re nce has to answer. he wasn't at the press conference yesterday and i'm asking he makes himself available to the press this afternoon, so he can a nswer the press this afternoon, so he can answer questions. we know the government were aware that dominic cummings was in lockdown but there are many questions the government has to answer, when did they know that dominic cummings had gone up to durham? did they sanction dominic cummings going up to durham? there are many questions to answer. we cannot hav

downing street showing no sign of backing down here.a pretty punchy response to these allegations. but opposition leaders also aren't showing any sign of backing down on this. labour, the snp, the lib dems have called for britain's most senior civil servant to hold an enquiry to see weather or not dominic cummings broke the special advisers this postcode for allegedly breaching the guidance on lockdown stop the s&p leader ian blackford wanted to know what the prime minister knew about mr cummings's travel plans to durham. the opposition pressure is still very much on. we had a good 2a hours for public reaction to drop into conservative mps' inboxes, so interesting to what comes out of that today. no sign downing street is backtracking at all, but it appears officials don't seem to have officially denied the allegation about mrcummings being officially denied the allegation about mr cummings being seen in barnard ‘s castle. the easing of coronavirus restrictions goes on, what can we expect from the cabinet meeting? it's another big week.

downing street has also denied that mrcummings or his downing street has also denied that mr cummingshis family were spoken to about this by police. earlier this month professor neil ferguson quit his role in ligament‘s scientific advisory body, sage, after the telegraph reported he had broken lockdown rules by letting his married lover visit him at home. catherine calderwood resigned as scottish health adviser after visiting her second home twice. some conservative mps have come out in support of mr cummings. labour has said the country d ese rves a nswe i’s . either way, more questions are likely to be asked. iamjoined by i am joined by nick eardley. as helen says, lots of questions still to be answered ? helen says, lots of questions still to be answered? yeah, absolutely. i think there are big questions to be asked of the government on exactly what rules mr cummings was expected to follow and whether the government considers that he followed them completely. we have had that statement from downing street in which they are clear they think he acted within the rules. we have heard f

opponents are calling for the downing street advisor to stand down.ial area of karachi in pakistan. at least 97 people have been killed.

downing street will hope that this anger will subside.the point here is that these restrictions have affected absolutely everybody in the country. it really is all that anyone is talking about. and i think it will be quite difficult for them to move on here, but as i say, it depends on the cabinet. will any of them speak out today? we know that privately some of them are pretty anxious about all of this and the undermining of the message and also, will conservative mps continue to make their feelings known publicly? thank you very much, vicky. let's get more on durham's acting police and crime commissioner steve white's request for the force to consider whether mr cummings broke the law by travelling from london to durham during the lockdown. joining me now is our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford. does that mean that this investigation will definitely have to happen? essentially, if police and crime commission of an area asks for something to be looked into, it is highly likely that the first, the durham constabulary in this ca

downing street denied reports tonight dominic cummings had returned to downing street from london lasts a claim on the observer dominic cummings was seen in a beauty spot about 30 miles from durham when he was apparently self—isolating. this is notjust about dominic cummings but about the guidelines that parents should follow if they have symptoms and whether the rules that apply in your street also apply to downing street. iain watson there. 0ur correspondent nick beake has been examining the fresh allegations that appear in several sunday newspapers. the first claim is that on easter sunday, if we cast our minds back to april 12, someone has told the newspaper that mr cummings and his family were, infact, 30 miles from the property in durham where he was apparently self—isolating. so beforehand the assumption was he had been there, but this particular location barnard castle, 30 miles away, and robin lees, who is a retired chemistry teacher, has told the two newspapers that he was gobsmacked to see the top number 10 aide there on easter sunday. now, i was able to talk to mr lees this

downing street remains under all sorts of pressure over this.keen to keep the pressure on and tonight but the labour party and the snp have written to the cabinet secretary calling for an investigation into this so in effect dominic cummings maintains that he did not break the coronavirus guidelines and the labour party and the snp say he did and they want top civil servants to try to adjudicate. it would be easy to regard this whole story as a westminster bubble issue that people just to about around the house of commons and government advisers but it is about what type of vice people are getting their ill with coronavirus and they have children. it seems to me that that advice is more flexibly advised tonight so when the transport secretary grant shapps was asked about this he said if you have no network of support in your area and you have a child then perhaps can move. the dangerfor the government is not so much the incoming political attacks but that they are desperate to get the spread of the virus down in thatjob could be made all the mor

i think that is delusional and he is drawing fire to downing street, which is why it is dangerous fortion to carry on and why you may well be forced to get rid of him. i suppose it is true to say that he has not made a huge number of friends while he has been in government, in fact he made quite if few arrogant —— enemies, due to his bruising style. i noted yesterday that a civil service accounted was tweeting guidance when he did visit relatives. i got messages from people in whitehall who said they we re people in whitehall who said they were trolling him, because that was a frustration from whitehall who are ready did not like dominic cummings. he felt he was patronising to the civil service, which she was, and he acted as though whitehall was a terribly run organisation who needed his radical reforms. he has not made friends, plenty in the conservative party that also don‘t like him, but he obviously does have his supporters, one of them is in 10 downing street, so that has protected him to some degree, but thatis protected him to some degree, but that is until it doesn‘t. the int

and whether the rules apply to the new street also applied to downing street?he observer and sunday mirror, i've been speaking to our correspondent, nick beake. the first claim i was easter sunday so if we cast our minds back to april the 12th, someone has told the newspaper that mr cummings and his family were in fact 30 miles from the property in durham where he was apparently self isolating. before hand the assumption was he had been there. at this particular location 30 miles away and robin leach who is a retired chemistry teacher told the two newspapers he was gob smacked to see the top number ten aid they are on easter sunday. i was able to talk to him this evening and he said yes, he stands by what he told the newspapers. and he was able to in his own mind, be sure that it was mr cummings because he took a note of the number plate. the car that the cummings family he thought were using. he said he was able to find a photograph online and the first five characters of the number plate matched. to him it was a vehicle he saw with his own eyes matching a veh

downing street says definitely not. so that's sort of a moment.in brussels, anyway, is that we're going to have another hot autumn. so a bit like autumn 2019 with a lot of last—minute negotiations and each side thinking that the other will buckle under the pressure because when you say what's changed, i mean, people here in the uk, kind of political and civil servants types think they've detracted from michel barnier, a bit of movement on a potential fishing deal, which is one of the big sticking points. has he... is there room for manoeuvre there? or is thatjust a bit of wishful thinking? so, it's sort of like deja vu again, not just that we're going to have a hot autumn, but, you know, it's again where michel barnier says something. he was talking about the maximalist approach that the eu is taking when it comes to fishing. butjust this week, he had a meeting with the eight coastal eu countries, that includes spain and france and the netherlands, and those countries, so it's the countries who are being more hard line. and they're saying to miche

jessica parker in downing street.he conservative mp simon hoare whojoins me from north dorset. very good morning to you, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. is your inbox full of the sorts of e—mailsjessica was talking about? yesterday, you said dominic cummings ought to consider his position and he was wounding the prime minister's and government's reputation. given the prime minister backed him yesterday, have you changed your mind at all on dominic cummings? i haven't, i respectfully disagree with the prime minister on this issue. in answer to the first pa rt this issue. in answer to the first part of your question, my inbox is absolutely bloated with white anger, with real fury from constituents across the political spectrum, from across the political spectrum, from across the political spectrum, from across the different professions and jobs in north dorset, absolutely furious that they have abided by the rules and the regulations, as i urged them to do, as the government told them to do, to save the nhs

at a news conference in downing street, mr cummings said he did not regret his decision to travel 260 that's a18 kilometres — from london to durham with his wife who was ill and their four—year—old son. he claimed none of their usual childcare options were available. the prime minister, borisjohnson, reaffirmed his support for mr cummings but said he did regret the "confusion and anger" that many people felt. elsewhere, spain has revised down the total number of people with coronavirus who've died in the country by nearly 2,000. the country has also announced that it's lifting the two—week coronavirus quarantine requirement for foreign travellers from july 1. and the world health organization has suspended testing of the drug hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment for covid—19 because of safety concerns. firstly, let's get more on developments from here in the uk. and at a news conference in downing street, mr cummings said he felt he'd taken the best option in his situation. it's notjust a simple matter of the regulations. the regulations describe various exceptional circumstance

he is mrjohnson‘s closest political advisor in number 10 downing street. career by positioning himself as defying conventional wisdom and trying to upset the established order. he was the key architect behind the successful vote leave campaign of the 2016 referendum, known for coming up with the slogan "take back control" mr cummings was so prominent in that campaign that he was portrayed by bennedict cumberbatch as the protaganist in the emmy nominated tv drama. brexit: the uncivil war. and today's public statement also highlights his importance in the government. special advisors are rarely at the centre of such a big controversy. and rarely seen in front of a camera. media discretion is very much part of their code of conduct. professor of social policy, ulster university quoted paragraph 14 of the special advisor code of conduct... "special advisers must not take public part in political controversy. "they must observe discretion and express comment with moderation, "avoiding personal attacks, and would not normally speak "in public for their minister

let's talk to our political correspondent, nick eardley, is in downing street.t orjust in his usual office? he has been in for three and a half hours. as car is still part year. we know boris johnson is in there as well, he is working in downing street this weekend, although we don't know exactly what he is discussing. 0ne thing that hasjust emerged in the la st thing that hasjust emerged in the last few minutes is that the press co nfe re nce last few minutes is that the press conference today, normally at four o'clock, is going to be at five o'clock, is going to be at five o'clock today. i don't know that tells us there is something going on behind the scenes. we also haven't had it confirmed yet who it is going to be, but as you heard in that zone, there is a lot of pressure for the boy to say some questions from the boy to say some questions from the media and from the public about his chief adviser. all that said, despite all the pressure we have seen despite all the pressure we have seen from opposition parties and from tory mps who are worried this is dae

downing street has defended mr cummings's trip to be nearfamily, saying it had been "essential" for himchildcare. here's our political correspondent iain watson. you're supposed to be more than two metres apart. borisjohnson's senior advisor, dominic cummings, lecturing reporters on social—distancing, but his opponents accuse him of breaking the lockdown rules himself. when his wife became ill at the end of march, he, she and their four—year—old child didn't self—isolate at their london home, but travelled more than 250 miles — to county durham. well, it's a question of doing the right thing. it's not about what you guys think. the government's guidance on self—isolation says... if you live with others and you're the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for at least seven days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for m days. but in a statement, downing street set out to explain why borisjohnson's advisor didn't stay at home. "it was essential for dominic cummings to ensure his young child

let's cross to downing street now.e. i am pleased to be joined afternoon's press conference. i am pleased to bejoined byjonathan van—tam, our deputy chief medical 0fficer. tests carried out in the uk include 100,678 tests carried out yesterday. 246,406 people have tested positive, and that is an increase of 2684 cases since yesterday. 9408 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, which is down 13% from this time last week. i am very sad to report that, of those who have tested positive for covid—19 across all settings, 34,796 have now died, that is an increase of 160 deaths on yesterday. it goes without saying, we offer our condolences to the friends and family of every individual who has passed away during this pandemic. this is a challenging time, and as we chart the right course over the weeks and months ahead, our overriding priority remains to save lives. whilst also at the same time preserving livelihoods and allowing people to return over time and when it is safe to something resembling a more normal w

in a statement, downing street set out to explain why boris johnson's downing street set out to explainr it added... durham police say they may contest with the owner address with some self—isolating, but it was adjusted that at no stage will dominic come and spoken to about this and matter. where did this leave the guidance now?m this and matter. where did this leave the guidance now? if you don't have your own extended family, even when you are ill with covert symptoms, you are allowed to leave your home, travel miles across the country. the important thing is it remained —— everyone remains in the same place whilst they are locked down, which is adeptly what happened with mrcummings. down, which is adeptly what happened with mr cummings. the prime minister will have known he was staying put and didn't come out again until he was feeling better. but he did travel 250 miles, did he not? was feeling better. but he did trave1250 miles, did he not? the guidance as if you live with children, keeps following the advice to the best of your ability. we are aware that not all these measures wi

in downing street, there is a bit of a sense that they might have got him out of the woods.oposition that somehow tomorrow morning nobody will be mentioning this at all. many thanks, laura kuenssberg with the latest at westminster. it's highly unusualfor a government adviser, even one as influential as dominic cummings, to be in the spotlight to this degree. it's raised questions once again about the extent of his power and to what extent borisjohnson relies on him day—to—day in the running of the government. our chief political correspondent vicki young takes a look at the man and his mission. he is not a cabinet minister or an mp. but dominic cummings is one of the most influential people in westminster. a formidable campaigner, who challenges tradition and never shies away from confrontation. he has brought a unique style to government, and not just on the way that he dresses. for yea rs just on the way that he dresses. for years he's fought against closer ties with the eu, making his name in 1999 when hejoined business for sterling, opposing the ukjoining the euro. worki

let's return now to today's downing street briefing, led by the health secretary matt hancock.n the questions centred on dominic cummings. matt hancock told the briefing he believed that mr cummings acted within the guidelines set out by the government. he also said he may review fines given to families who breached lockdown to get childcare. it was in response to a question from a member of the public. it comes as a further 134 people have died in the uk after testing positive for covid—19, taking the total death toll up to 37,048. mr hancock said that although the number of deaths appears to be falling, "we must keep our resolve". mr hancock said contracts have been signed to make two billion items of personal protective equipment, or ppe, in the uk. he also said that the anti—viral drug, remdesivir, is probably the biggest step forward in treatment since the crisis began. on the nhs test and trace programme — mr hancock urged people to follow the rules — for both themselves and the wider community. before i provide an update on the work that we are doing to combat coronaviru

johnson closest advisor on downing street.e was the key architect behind the successful vote-leave -- vote leave campaign of 2016 with the slogan take back control. he was so prominent in that campaign that he was portrayed by benedict cumberbatch as the protagonist in the me nominated tv drama, brexit, the uncivil war. it also highlights has importance in the goverent. special advisers are rarely at the epicenter of such a big controversy and rarely seen in front of the camera. discretion is very much part of their code of conduct. listen to this, special advisers must not take public part in political controversy. they must observe discretion and express comment with moderation, avoiding personal attack and would not normally speak in public. dominic cummings' actions and defense by boris johnson have wanted a massive public response. mps have been posting some of the messages they received. they're not likely to be more powerful than this. seven paragraphs of controlled fury. he writes, my wife died of covid-19 on march 29.

i'm joined by downing street coronavirus daily briefing.joined by the downing street coronavirus daily briefing. i'm joined by the deputies medical officer and byjohn newton, oui’ medical officer and byjohn newton, our coordinator for testing. i want to update you with the latest plans for our programme of test, track and trace, how we're going to use this massive testing capability that we have built order to get r down and keep it down. i want to remain due what we want to achieve, our plan is to slow the spread and protect the nhs so that the nhs is always there for you and your family whenever you need it, whether for for you and your family whenever you need it, whetherfor coronavirus or anything else. that goal is working. the number of spare critical care beds in the nhs is 3&13. on the latest figures, there have been 1,290,000 tests for coronavirus, including 85,186 tests on sunday. 190,580 for people have now tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 3595. 13,258 people are in hospital with coronavirus and 28,730 for people h

that is ata downing street news briefing. that is at a quarter to four.wn lockdown been? it has been good being able to go out and do more exercise. i did 30,000 steps yesterday. wow, is that good? i have no idea, no—one‘s ever explained this step business to me. but talking of health, another issue that has been happening over the past couple of months is that when people have needed to go to the doctor or hospital, they have been nervous about either catching the virus or playing their part in overwhelming health systems. so that has meant in some cases, that people have missed urgent care that they really needed. sojen copestake has been to harrogate district hospital and a gp surgery in london to find out how staff has been trying to see more patients remotely where they can. when coronavirus hit the uk, we saw hospitals being rapidly set up to take more patients and even new ones were built. but in the last month, admissions to hospital emergency rooms have dropped to the lowest point since records began. many hospitals have seen a decline in the num

the i, which suggests there's disarray in downing street, as the prime minister's chief adviser, dominicngs, hangs on to hisjob, after breaking lockdown rules to travel to durham in late march. the daily mail asks the question it says the whole country is asking, as it focuses on what it calls "the furious backlash" within the conservative party over borisjohnson‘s support of mr cummings. the daily telegraph chooses to feature the prime minister's words of endorsement from this afternoon's downing street briefing, that dominic cumming's actions were the "instincts that dominic cummings' actions were the "instincts of every father". the daily express says borisjohnson was defiant in his support for mr cummings, despite fury from mps on all sides. the mirror — which was one of the papers to first break the story — calls mrjohnson and mr cummings "a cheat" and "a coward" for their actions. the sun combines the prime minister's backing of mr cummings with the confirmation that schools in england will begin to reopen on june 1st. and finally, the guardian says borisjohnson was unapologetic at

the uk prime minister's top aide, dominic cummings, is at number 10 downing street. senior members of the conservative party are calling for his resignation after further allegations he breached lockdown rules. he insists he acted "reasonably and legally" by driving from london to county durham in march while his wife had coronavirus. but new reports suggest he was seen in the north east of england on two further occasions. the country can't afford this nonsense, this pantomime, now. dominic should go and we should move on and deal with the things that matter in people's lives. police in hong kong arrest dozens of people participating in the first pro—democracy protests since beijing announced plans to impose a new security law on the territory. israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, goes on trial for corruption charges just days after he was once again sworn in as premier. the duke of cambridge reveals how becoming a father brought back the painful emotions he felt after his mother's death. hospices in the uk are at the forefront of the battle with covid—19, co