Day by day, Dominic Cummings’ fateful trip to Durham

Dominic Cummings finally gave the world his account of his lockdown-busting trip to the north of England tonight. 

The Downing Street backroom fixer was thrust into the limelight as he faced an hour-long live television grilling.

In it he attempted to mount a defence of his decision to drive 260 miles from London to County Durham with his son and Covid-carrying wife in late March.

He admitted that ‘reasonable people may well disagree’ with his conduct but was resolute in his belief that he had acted in an appropriate manner. 

And he admitted that he had at no point contemplated resigning – and blamed the media for the anger that he is facing.

That anger is over several different alleged breaches of the rules. 

Mr Cummings, 48, admits he took his wife Mary Wakefield and four-year-old son 260 miles north to his family’s farm from London at the end of March, when she was suffering from coronavirus-symptoms.

And today he admitted that on April 12 – his wife’s birthday – he took a 30-mile drive to Barnard Castle, saying it was to test his eyesight before the long journey back to London – as he had suffered suspected coronavirus. 

But he flatly denied claims that he and his family took a second trip north in April, despite claims he had been spotted walking in woods on April 19 

Critics say the first, admitted trip north, during which the police spoke to Mr Cummings’ father, broke the lockdown, something Downing Street disputes. 

The trip to Barnard Castle – when none of the family were ill – would appear to be a clear breach of the rules being followed by millions of Britons.   

Here is a timeline of events during Mr Cummings illness and subsequent journey.

The Downing Street backroom fixer was thrust into the limelight as he faced an hour-long live television grilling

In it he attempted to mount a defence of his decision to drive 260 miles from London to County Durham with his son and Covid-carrying wife in late March.

In it he attempted to mount a defence of his decision to drive 260 miles from London to County Durham with his son and Covid-carrying wife in late March. 

Robin Lees says he saw someone who 'looked like' Mr Cummings here in Barnard Castle on April 12, and the 'distinctive' number plate he took down corresponds to Mr Cummings' car

Robin Lees says he saw someone who ‘looked like’ Mr Cummings here in Barnard Castle on April 12, and the ‘distinctive’ number plate he took down corresponds to Mr Cummings’ car

Mr Williamson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was his 'understanding' that 'Dominic Cummings made absolutely clear there was only one trip to Durham'.

Mr Williamson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it was his ‘understanding’ that ‘Dominic Cummings made absolutely clear there was only one trip to Durham’.

March 23:

The day Britain was placed into lockdown. Boris Johnson told Britons they should only leave home for one of four reasons: To shop for essential items, to exercise once a day, to travel to and from work where it was ‘absolutely necessary’ or to fulfil medical or care needs.

Those who had any symptoms of coronavirus were told to stay at home for at least seven days. Other members of that household were told they must self-isolate for 14 days.

The Government unveiled its message ‘Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives’ – which would have been drafted with the help of Mr Cummings.

March 27:

March 27: Dominic Cummings is pictured running out of Downing Street on the day Mr Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for coronavirus

March 27: Dominic Cummings is pictured running out of Downing Street on the day Mr Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for coronavirus

Mr Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for coronavirus, while chief medical officer Chris Whitty says he has symptoms of the disease and is self-isolating. 

This was also the day Mr Cummings was seen sprinting out of Downing Street. 

He told the press conference tonight he ran because his wife was badly ill at home, vomiting, and he needed to help her and look after their son.

That evening he discussed the situation with his wife – including the fact that many in Number 10 had developed coronavirus symptoms.

He was worried that if both he and his wife fell ill there was ‘nobody in London we could reasonably ask to look after our child and expose themselves to Covid’.

Mr Cummings said that he drove up to Durham with his wife and son that very night and did not stop on the way, arriving around midnight.

He said the next day he woke up in pain and ‘clearly had Covid symptoms’.

He added: ‘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 ill enough to require emergency help.’

He said he had not asked the Prime Minister about his decision and admitted that ‘arguably this was a mistake’. 

March 30:

Downing Street confirms Mr Cummings is suffering from coronavirus symptoms and is self-isolating.  But they do not reveal where he is.

March 31:

Parents’ home: The home of Cummings's parents in Durham, 260 miles away, which he visited during lockdown

Parents’ home: The home of Cummings’s parents in Durham, 260 miles away, which he visited during lockdown

Dominic Cummings REFUSES to apologise and has NOT offered to resign for breaking lockdown 

Dominic Cummings today refused to apologise for driving 260 miles to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown as he claimed he had always behaved ‘reasonably and legally’ amid growing calls for the PM’s top aide to be sacked.

Mr Cummings said his decision to travel to the city to stay in a cottage on his parents’ land was the result of a ‘very complicated, tricky situation’ as he admitted he had not sought Boris Johnson’s permission to make the journey at the end of March.

The Vote Leave maverick has faced accusations of ‘double standards’, with the nation having been instructed to stay at home, but he told an unprecedented press conference in the Number 10 Rose Garden: ‘I don’t regret what I did… I think what I did was reasonable in the circumstances.’

Asked directly if he had offered to quit or had even considered it, he added: ‘No I have not offered to resign, no I have not considered it.’

Labour claimed that the press conference had shown that ‘it’s one rule for Boris Johnson’s closest adviser, another for everybody else’ while the SNP said the PM should sack Mr Cummings ‘without further delay’.

Mr Cummings conceded that ‘reasonable people may well disagree’ with his chosen course of action but he was resolute in his belief that he had acted in an appropriate manner and had not broken the rules.

He insisted ‘I don’t think there is one rule for me and one rule for other people’ and blamed public anger at media reports ‘that have not been true’.

The usually scruffy adviser was wearing an open collared shirt as he detailed his movements from the end of March to the middle of April. He said he had concluded on Friday March 27 that if both he and his wife became ill their son could be looked after by his sister or nieces. He then drove to Durham, arriving at midnight, not stopping on the way.

He developed coronavirus symptoms the next day and the family continued to isolate before on April 2 Mr Cummings’ son became unwell and was taken to hospital. Mr Cummings picked up his wife and son the next day and did not leave the car.

Mr Cummings said he did speak to the PM during his first week in isolation but neither man could remember much of the conversation given they were both unwell.

During the second week of isolation the family walked in woods on his parents’ land, Mr Cummings said, and by Saturday April 11 he was still feeling weak but on the mend.

On Sunday April 12 the family went for a test drive to Barnard Castle to make sure he was fit enough to make the journey to London. They parked and walked 15 metres to the river, did not come into close contact with anyone, and then left.

On the way back to the cottage the family stopped next to some woods for a toilet break. They then returned to London in the evening on Monday April 13.

Mr Cummings said the PM had asked him to set out in detail his account to the press as he took a pummelling from reporters.

He also said he had initially decided to leave London after he was subject to ‘threats of violence’ and that he did not want to leave his family alone at home while he went to work in Number 10.

Asked about Mr Cummings’s health, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman tells reporters: ‘He’s in touch with No10 but he is at home, he is self-isolating, he has some symptoms.’

The same day Durham police are ‘made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city’.

The force says officers ‘made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house’.

‘In line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the arrangements around self-isolation guidelines and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.’ 

April 2:

Mr Cummings said that on April 2 his son fell unwell and was taken to hospital but he was still too ill to go with him.

He added: ‘During the night of Thursday April 2 my child woke up, he threw 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 should go to hospital.

‘I could barely stand up, my wife went with him in the ambulance, I stayed at home, he stayed the night in hospital.’

He said that in the morning his wife called to say their son had recovered and could return home.

Mr Cummings said that he drove to the hospital to pick up his wife and son but did not leave the car or come into contact with anyone on the way.

He said as he was recovering he went for a walk in the woods next to the cottage they were staying at which was private land and while they saw some people they had no interaction with anyone.

April 5:

At around 5.45pm, an unnamed neighbour spotted him in his parents’ garden with his son – with Abba’s Dancing Queen being played in the background.

The neighbour said: ‘I got the shock of my life. I was really annoyed. I thought ‘It’s OK for you to drive all the way up to Durham and escape from London’. It’s one rule for Dominic Cummings and one rule for the rest of us.’    

April 7:  

Dominic Cummings continued absence from Downing Street is noticed. Downing Street said at the time that he was working but not from Number 10 and insisted Number 10 is ‘fully operational’.

April 10:

Number 10 is again contacted for comment regarding Mr Cummings’ trip by the Guardian. Instead of defending the journey, officials decline to comment.

April 11: 

Mr Cummings said he was still feeling ‘weak and exhausted’ but had no Covid symptoms so thought he would be able to return to work the following week – possibly part-time.

He added: ‘It was obvious that the situation was extremely serious, the Prime Minister had been gravely ill, colleagues were dealing with huge problems and many were ill or isolating.

‘I felt that I should be able to return to work if possible given I was now recovering in order to relieve the intense strain at Number 10.’

April 12:

‘If Dominic Cummings can break the rules, we can too!’ Fears lockdown will collapse with crowds hitting parks and beaches 

Sun-worshippers descended on parks and beaches today amid an expected 79F heatwave as they declared, ‘If Dominic Cummings can break the rules, we can too’ after Boris Johnson’s Svengali got away with a 260-mile trip during lockdown.

The PM last night defended his senior aide over the journey from London to his parents’ home in Durham while he and his wife were self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms, prompting a furious reaction from Britons who have been making huge sacrifices to abide by the restrictions.

With parts of the country set to bask in temperatures hotter than Athens, Nice and Barcelona today, critics said that Mr Johnson’s decision to stand behind Mr Cummings risked sending out the dangerous signal that ‘lockdown is finished’ – potentially leading to a second wave of infections. 

Russell Martin tweeted: ‘So are you telling us that the lockdown is now officially over and we can do whatever we like whenever we like? Because if Dominic Cummings can break the rules with impunity, the rest of us can too.’  

Meanwhile, surfers in Woolacombe, Dorset, claimed they had every right to defy appeals to stay at home from locals at tourist spots, with Jen, 26, from Warwick, telling MailOnline: ‘If Dominic Cummings can travel from London to Durham during the height of lockdown, then really no one can say anything.’

Her friend, Liching, 26, from London, added: ‘I was a little apprehensive of what the locals would think and worried we might upset them but I’ve not left my house, except for daily walks, since lockdown started. I feel that if Dominic Cummings thought it was acceptable to drive that distance in lockdown, no one can get upset at us for driving now when the government have also said that it’s ok.’

Some of the Government’s scientific advisers also weighed into the debate, with Professor Stephen Reicher saying the PM had ‘trashed’ all the advice he’d been given, while a former police chief argued that his failure to condemn Cummings meant enforcing lockdown is now ‘dead in the water’.  

This morning, crowds formed outside the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park, as beaches in Sussex, Essex and Dorset quickly filled up with visitors looking to enjoy the dry and sunny conditions forecast to last the whole of Bank Holiday Monday. 

People in England are now allowed to travel for day trips but must stay at least six feet away from people who are not from their household, something that could be impossible in crowded areas. 

On April 12, his wife’s birthday, Mr Cummings and his family were allegedly spotted 30 miles from Durham in the town of Barnard Castle (pictured above, today). Retired chemistry teacher Mr Lees, 70, said he was ‘gobsmacked’. 

Although Mr Cummings could have theoretically completed a 14-day isolation period to recover from symptoms, the Government guidance were still clear: Stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel. 

Mr Lees told Sky: ‘They looked as if they’d been for a walk by the river. It didn’t seem right because I assumed he would be in London. You don’t take the virus from one part of the country to another.’

Sky News yesterday confirmed the car number plate as belonging to Mr Cummings.

Mr Cummings said tonight that by April 11 he had sought medical advice and was told it was safe to return to work.

He said that because his eyesight had been affected by the disease his wife did not want to risk the long drive back to London so they went on a ‘short drive’ to Barnard Castle.

Mr Cummings said he had felt a ‘bit sick’ so they had walked about 10 to 15 metres to the riverbank where they sat for about 15 minutes until he felt better.

He added: ‘My wife was very worried, particularly as my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease.

‘She did not want to risk a nearly 300-mile drive with our child given how ill I had been.

‘We agreed that we should go for a short drive to see if I could drive safely, we drove for roughly half an hour and ended up on the outskirts of Barnard Castle town.

‘We did not visit the castle, we did not walk around the town.’

He said that they got back to London on the evening of April 13 and he went back to work the next day.

April 14:

Mr Cummings returns to work for the first time since news he was suffering from coronavirus emerged.

Questions are raised about his adherence to social distancing advice as he is photographed walking in Downing Street with fellow aide Cleo Watson.

April 19:

A witness claimed to have seen Mr Cummings at Houghall Woods, a beauty spot near his parents’ home in Durham, on April 19.

He was overheard remarking that the bluebells are ‘lovely.’ The witness said: ‘We were shocked and surprised to see him because the last time we did was earlier in the week in Downing Street.

‘We thought ‘He’s not supposed to be here during lockdown’. We thought ‘What double standards, one rule for him as a senior adviser to the Prime Minister, another for the rest of us.’ When asked yesterday whether he had been to Durham a second time in April, Mr Cummings said: ‘No I did not’. 

The claim is reported by the Observer and Sunday Mirror on May 24. 

Mr Cummings tonight denied going back to Durham after returning to London on April 13.

He added: ‘In the last few days there have been many media reports I returned to Durham after April 13.

‘All these stories are false. There’s a particular report I returned there on April 19.

‘Photos and data on my phone prove this to be false, I was in London on that day.’

April 25: 

Like all good journalists, Mary Wakefield did not miss an opportunity to turn personal difficulty into tantalising copy. As commissioning editor of political magazine The Spectator, the baronet’s daughter described her and her husband’s battle with coronavirus for a late-April edition.

She said she initially contracted symptoms before Mr Cummings rushed home and ‘collapsed.’ She explained: ‘I felt breathless, sometimes achy, but Dom couldn’t get out of bed. Day in, day out for ten days he lay doggo with a high fever and spasms that made the muscles lump and twitch in his legs. He could breathe, but only in a limited, shallow way.’

Then, in a conclusion which contradicts the sightings in Durham, she said the family ’emerged from quarantine into the almost comical uncertainty of London lockdown.’

Mr Cummings also gave his own short account of their time together in isolation, branding it ‘sticky’ – but in reference to their home being ‘covered in a layer of spilt Ribena, honey, peanut butter and playschool glue’. 

Neither mention that they were not at their north London home. 

May 10: 

Rumours begin to circulate on social media that Mr Cummings had again been seen in the Durham area. A police source yesterday told the Telegraph officers contacted Mr Cummings’ father around this time but were assured the sightings were not true. 

May 13:

The Government lifts the restriction on how far people can drive to reach the countryside and take exercise, but visits and overnight stays to second homes remain prohibited.

May 22:

News breaks in the Mirror and the Guardian of Mr Cummings’ trip to Durham.

While there is no comment from Downing Street, close friends of Mr Cummings say: ‘He isn’t remotely bothered by this story, it’s more fake news from the Guardian. There is zero chance of him resigning.’

May 23:

Downing Street appears to be standing by the PM’s chief aide, saying in a statement: ‘Owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus and the high likelihood that he would himself become unwell, it was essential for Dominic Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for.

‘At no stage was he or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported.’

Speaking to reporters outside his home, Mr Cummings says: ‘I behaved reasonably and legally.’

When a reporter suggests his actions did not look good, he replies: ‘Who cares about good looks? It’s a question of doing the right thing. It’s not about what you guys think.’

Later at the daily Downing Street briefing, Mr Shapps says Mr Cummings has the PM’s ‘full support’ and that Mr Johnson ‘knew that he was unwell and that he was in lockdown’.

Mr Shapps says it had always been permissible for families to travel to be closer to relatives as long as they ‘go to that location and stay in that location’.

Meanwhile, the deputy chief medical officer for England, Jenny Harries, says travelling during lockdown was permissible if ‘there was an extreme risk to life’, with a ‘safeguarding clause’ attached to all advice to prevent vulnerable people being stuck at home with no support.

In a new statement released later in the evening, Durham police say officers were made aware on March 31 that Mr Cummings was present at an address in the city.

The force adds that the following morning an officer spoke with Mr Cummings’ father at his own request, and he confirmed his son had travelled with his family to the North East and was ‘self-isolating in part of the property’.

It says the force ‘deemed that no further action was required. However, the officer did provide advice in relation to security issues’.

In another evening statement, a No 10 spokeswoman accuses the Mirror and Guardian of writing ‘inaccurate’ stories about Mr Cummings, including claims that he had returned to Durham after going back to work in Downing Street on April 14.

‘We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers,’ the spokeswoman says.

May 24:

Asked by a journalist outside his home whether he had returned to Durham in April, Mr Cummings says: ‘No, I did not.’

A host of Tory MPs call for him to resign or for Mr Johnson to sack him.

But the PM, who fronts the daily Downing Street briefing, firmly backs Mr Cummings, saying his aide acted in the best interests of his child, in a way ‘any parent would frankly understand’.

He insists Mr Cummings ‘acted responsibly, legally and with integrity’.

But the PM’s comments fail to quell anger among Tory MPs, opposition parties, scientists and even bishops – one of whom accuses Mr Johnson of treating the public ‘as mugs’.

Durham councillor Amanda Hopgood says she has written to Durham Constabulary’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell after being made aware of a number of sightings of Mr Cummings in the area in April and May.

Mr Cummings’ parents Morag and Robert defend him in an interview with the New Statesman, with his mother saying the family had been grieving after her brother – Lord Justice Laws – died on April 5 after contracting Covid-19 while ill in hospital, and his father saying he was ‘disgusted’ at the way the press had treated his son during the coverage.

May 25:

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson adds his support for Mr Cummings, saying he should not resign ‘because he has made it clear that he’s broken no rules and he’s broken no laws’.

Gloucestershire’s independent police and crime commissioner Martin Surl says Mr Cummings’ actions make a ‘mockery’ of police enforcement earlier in the lockdown ‘when the message was very, very clear: stay at home’.

Tory MP David Warburton says his own father died alone as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, and that the Cummings story gives an impression of ‘double standards’.

Beach-goers enjoy the sunshine as they sunbathe on the beach and play in the sea at a packed beach today in Southend, Essex

Beach-goers enjoy the sunshine as they sunbathe on the beach and play in the sea at a packed beach today in Southend, Essex

Friends Amy Louise Thomas, 20 and Elli Wilson, 20, enjoying the hot bank holiday weather on Formby beach in Merseyside this morning

Friends Amy Louise Thomas, 20 and Elli Wilson, 20, enjoying the hot bank holiday weather on Formby beach in Merseyside this morning

At least 15 Conservative backbenchers have called for Mr Cummings to go, while several others have spoken out against his actions.

Conservative former minister Paul Maynard said he shared people’s ‘dismay’ at the PM’s response, and was one of many MPs who insisted Mr Cummings should quit or be sacked.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she fears Mr Johnson is ‘putting his political interest ahead of the public interest’ and adds that she hopes he will ‘reflect further’ on the matter. 

Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner today urges the local chief constable to launch a formal investigation into Dominic Cummings’ lockdown visit to the city Acting PCC Steve White writes to Jo Farrell to ask her to probe the facts around Mr Cummings’ trip and to determine wether there was ‘any potential breach of the law or regulations in this matter’.

Mr White says there was a ‘plethora of additional information circulating in the public domain which deserves appropriate examination’. If the chief constable agrees to look into the matter it raises the prospect of the police examining ANPR or phone data to determine the aide’s movements.

Mr Cummings later takes the almost unprecedented step of hosting his own press conference int he garden of No10 to answer questions about his behavour himself.  

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