Grant Shapps had hoped to spend today’s government press conference discussing extra funding for public transport as a result of coronavirus adjustments. Instead, the Transport Secretary spent it fielding questions about Dominic Cummings. After the Guardian and Mirror reported that the senior No. 10 aide travelled 260 miles to be near relatives so his family had childcare support nearby as they self-isolated with coronavirus, Cummings has been accused of flouting government advice with the SNP’s Ian Blackford calling for him to resign. A snap YouGov poll released this afternoon says that 52 per cent of those surveyed believe Cummings broke the rules and should go.
However, it’s clear from today’s press conference that the Prime Minister plans to stand by his senior aide. The Transport Secretary put in a lengthy defence of Cummings and said the No. 10 adviser had the Prime Minister’s backing: ‘I can tell you the Prime Minister provides Mr Cummings with his full support’.
While Shapps said individuals should not travel with either coronavirus or a suspected case of coronavirus, he argued that this was a set of unique circumstances that complied with government advice as Cummings was safeguarding his child’s welfare. Asked
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