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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday he wouldn't fire his chief aide for allegedly violating the national lockdown rules that he helped to create by driving the length of England to his parents' house while he was infected with the coronavirus.
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Defying a growing clamor from public and politicians, Johnson said Dominic Cummings had acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity” when he drove 250 miles (400 kilometers) from London to Durham, in northeast England, with his wife and son at the end of March.
Britain's lockdown, which began March 23, stipulated that people should remain at their primary residence, leaving only for essential local errands and exercise. Anyone with coronavirus symptoms was told to completely isolate themselves.
Cummings says he traveled to be near extended family because his wife was showing COVID-19 symptoms, he correctly thought he was also infected and he wanted to ensure that his 4-year-old son was looked after.
'Followed father's instinct'
Johnson told a news conference that Cummings had "followed the instincts of every father and every parent.” He said Cummings, his wife and son followed the rules by self-isolating for 14 days once they reached Durham.
But critics of the government expressed outrage that Cummings had broken strict rules that for two months have prevented Britons from visiting elderly relatives, comforting dying friends or even attending the funerals of loved ones. The opposition Labour Party has called for an official investigation.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said Johnson's defense of Cummings was “an insult to sacrifices made by the British people.”
"The prime ministers actions have undermined confidence in his own public health message at this crucial time," he said.
This was a test of the Prime Minister and he has failed it.
It is an insult to sacrifices made by the British people that Boris Johnson has chosen to take no action against Dominic Cummings.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 24, 2020
Former Labour lawmaker Helen Goodman, whose father died in a nursing home during the outbreak, said Cummings behavior was “repellent.”
“What was the point of the sacrifice that we all made? What was the point of the miserable, lonely death that my father had?” she told the BBC.
Speaking inside the prime minister's 10 Downing St. residence, Johnson said “I can totally get why people might feel so confused and … so offended by the idea that it was one thing for the people here and one thing for others."
But he said Cumming's “particular childcare needs” left him “no alternative” but to make the 250-mile trip.
Denial of second trip
Government ministers have denied a claim that Cummings was spotted again in Durham on April 19, after he had recovered and returned to work in London. But they have not confirmed or denied report that Cummings visited a scenic area 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Durham on April 12.
Cummings is a key but contentious figure in Johnsons administration. A self-styled political disrupter who disdains the media and civil service, he was one of the architects of the successful campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, and orchestrated the Conservatives decisive election victory in December.
The coronavirus cut a swath through the top ranks of Britains government in March and April, infecting people including Cummings, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Johnson himself, who has said that the medical staff at a London hospital saved his life.
Despite the government's support for Cummings, several lawmakers from Johnsons Conservative Party joined the opposition in calling for the aide to be sacked.
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