Boris Johnson’s political gamble over Cummings

Despite calls from a growing number of Tory MPs for Dominic Cummings to go over allegations that he breached lockdown guidance, Boris Johnson used today’s press conference to give his senior aide his full backing. In unambiguous terms, the Prime Minister began proceedings by telling the public he had held lengthy discussions with Cummings over the past 48 hours and concluded he had no case to answer to. Of Cummings’s decision to travel 260 miles from London to Durham to self isolate so that he and his family had childcare nearby, Johnson said his adviser had simply ‘followed the instincts of every father and every parent and I do not mark him down for that’.

The Prime Minister tried to move the conversation on by announcing that his government will press ahead with the phased reopening of schools from June 1. However, as soon as the Q&A began Johnson was forced to return to the subject of his aide.