World

UK Police Say Cummings 'Potentially' Broke Lockdown Rules but No Further Action on Matter Needed

Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britain to "move on" from the controversy surrounding his chief advisor Dominic Cummings, who has been facing criticism for breaching the government's own coronavirus lockdown regulations.
Sputnik

UK police will take no further action in the matter of UK Prime Minster's adviser Dominic Cummings.

Earlier, Cummings admitted to driving 400 km to his parents' house in Durham in northeast England at the end of March and later taking another drive to the town of Barnard Castle 50 km away.

A spokesperson for Durham police said that the second trip might have been a minor breach of lockdown regulations. 

"Durham constabulary have examined the circumstances surrounding the journey to Barnard Castle (including ANPR, witness evidence and a review of Mr Cummings’ press conference on 25 May 2020) and have concluded that there might have been a minor breach of the regulations that would have warranted police intervention. Durham constabulary view this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing," a statement by the police says.

According to a Downing Street spokesman, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson thinks the Cummings issue "as closed".

"The Prime Minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances and he regards this issue as closed," the spokesman said. 
UK Police Say Cummings 'Potentially' Broke Lockdown Rules but No Further Action on Matter Needed

Did Cummings Breach the Rules?

Boris Johnson's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, made headlines last week after media reports emerged saying that he had driven with his family to Durham on 27 March while all non-essential travel in the UK was banned due to the coronavirus outbreak. The news prompted calls for his resignation. More than thirty Conservative Party lawmakers called on Cummings to resign, citing public fury in their constituents. Johnson has rejected the calls to fire his adviser.

Cummings denied any wrongdoing, saying he travelled to Durham to ensure that his 4-year-old son could be looked after if he and his wife, who both had coronavirus symptoms, became sick. Commenting on his visit to Barnard Castle, Cummings said he went there to test whether his eyesight was good enough for the long trip back to London.

Discuss