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| UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson says Dominic Cummings acted 'responsibly, legally and with integrity' | UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson says Dominic Cummings acted 'responsibly, legally and with integrity' |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| PM backs adviser at daily briefing amid calls from Conservative MPs for him to go over further breaches of lockdown rules | |
| Johnson is asked whether he knew at the time that Dominic Cummings was making the trip to Durham and whether he approved it. He is also asked whether it is true Cummings made a trip to Barnard Castle in April. | |
| Johnson avoids answering the questions directly. “What I can tell you is, when you look at the guidance and the childcare needs it was reasonable to self isolate for 14 days or more where he did,” he said. | |
| He said that he has looked at the allegations carefully and is content that “on both sides” of that period he behaved “responsibly and correctly”. | |
| Johnson is asked whether his support for Cummings means that other people are completely at liberty to do as his chief aide did. | |
| “I think what they did was totally understandable,” Johnson replied. “I think any father, any parent would understand what he did.” | |
| Johnson also confirmed that the government will press ahead with the phased reopening of schools from June 1. | |
| “The education of children is crucial for their welfare, for their long-term future and for social justice,” he said. | |
| “In line with the approach being taken in many other countries, we want to start getting our children back into the classroom in a way that is as manageable and as safe as possible. | |
| “We said we would begin with early years’ settings and reception, year 1, and year 6 in primary schools.” | |
| He added that he intends for secondary schools to provide “some contact” for year 10 and year 12 students from 15 June to help them to prepare for exams next year – with up to a quarter of these students in at any point. | |
| Johnson also told the Downing Street press conference that “some” of the allegations about Dominic Cummings’ behaviour during self-isolation were “palpably false”. | |
| “Though there have been many other allegations about what happened when he was in self-isolation and thereafter, some of them palpably false, I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly and legally and with integrity and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives.” | |
| The reactions to Johnson’s announcement that Cummings will stay, apparently without any sanction or Cabinet Office investigation, have begun to pour in: | |
| Johnson backed his chief strategist, saying that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare at the moment when “both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated” Cummings “followed the instincts of every father and every parent and I do not mark him down for that”. | |
| Boris Johnson has said that Dominic Cummings acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity”. | Boris Johnson has said that Dominic Cummings acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity”. |
| Silkie Carlo, director of civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, has this take on the Cummings saga: | Silkie Carlo, director of civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, has this take on the Cummings saga: |
| With all eyes on the latest developments regarding the PM’s chief strategist, this more positive news story may have slipped under the radar: | With all eyes on the latest developments regarding the PM’s chief strategist, this more positive news story may have slipped under the radar: |
| The government has vowed to make 3,300 homes available within 12 months to prevent rough sleepers housed in emergency pandemic accommodation in England returning to the streets. | The government has vowed to make 3,300 homes available within 12 months to prevent rough sleepers housed in emergency pandemic accommodation in England returning to the streets. |
| The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will bring forward £160m of its £381m, four-year rough sleeping services budget to be spent this year. | The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will bring forward £160m of its £381m, four-year rough sleeping services budget to be spent this year. |
| Six thousand “housing units” will be built using the money and rough sleepers housed through the scheme will be provided support for mental health or substance abuse issues. | Six thousand “housing units” will be built using the money and rough sleepers housed through the scheme will be provided support for mental health or substance abuse issues. |
| Read our full report here: | Read our full report here: |
| Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian member of European parliament, has weighed into the Dominic Cummings saga by tweeting his approval of the following Sunday Times cartoon: | Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian member of European parliament, has weighed into the Dominic Cummings saga by tweeting his approval of the following Sunday Times cartoon: |
| Network Rail has urged potential passengers who do not need to travel to work or for emergencies to avoid taking trains during the bank holiday. | Network Rail has urged potential passengers who do not need to travel to work or for emergencies to avoid taking trains during the bank holiday. |
| The already drastically reduced national train service is undergoing a major overhaul over the long weekend with 490 upgrading projects taking place, it said. | The already drastically reduced national train service is undergoing a major overhaul over the long weekend with 490 upgrading projects taking place, it said. |
| Find out more in this report from my colleague Henry McDonald: | Find out more in this report from my colleague Henry McDonald: |
| UK faces backlog of 40,000 criminal cases due to coronavirus | |
| Barristers have warned that the UK’s criminal justice system is facing a backlog of 40,000 cases due to the coronavirus crisis, Owen Bowcott reports: | Barristers have warned that the UK’s criminal justice system is facing a backlog of 40,000 cases due to the coronavirus crisis, Owen Bowcott reports: |
| Here is the full report: | Here is the full report: |
| This post has been amended – the earlier version had an incorrect figure in the headline | |
| An arson investigation has been launched after a 5G mobile phone mast was torched, PA Media reports. | An arson investigation has been launched after a 5G mobile phone mast was torched, PA Media reports. |
| Derbyshire police appealed for witnesses after the fire brigade were called to the blaze off Scarborough Drive in the Chaddesden area of Derby at 2am on Sunday. | Derbyshire police appealed for witnesses after the fire brigade were called to the blaze off Scarborough Drive in the Chaddesden area of Derby at 2am on Sunday. |
| In a statement, the force said: | In a statement, the force said: |
| It follows more than 50 incidents nationwide, believed to be linked to false claims the 5G network is spreading coronavirus. | It follows more than 50 incidents nationwide, believed to be linked to false claims the 5G network is spreading coronavirus. |
| The attacks prompted action from Twitter and Facebook to crack down on accounts pushing “unverified claims”. | The attacks prompted action from Twitter and Facebook to crack down on accounts pushing “unverified claims”. |
| One MP, who launched a fact-checking service, also called for a law to be introduced to stop persistent spreaders of disinformation online. | One MP, who launched a fact-checking service, also called for a law to be introduced to stop persistent spreaders of disinformation online. |
| The Conservative MP Damian Collins, who set up Infotagion to combat falsehoods during the pandemic, said: | The Conservative MP Damian Collins, who set up Infotagion to combat falsehoods during the pandemic, said: |
| Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted the following in connection with growing calls for Dominic Cummings to step down as chief strategist. | Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted the following in connection with growing calls for Dominic Cummings to step down as chief strategist. |
| This is Aaron Walawalkar, taking over from my colleague Jedidajah Otte, as the clock ticks down to the daily coronavirus press briefing at 5pm today. As always, please message me any of your UK coronavirus updates on Twitter @AaronWala. | This is Aaron Walawalkar, taking over from my colleague Jedidajah Otte, as the clock ticks down to the daily coronavirus press briefing at 5pm today. As always, please message me any of your UK coronavirus updates on Twitter @AaronWala. |
| Here’s is a selection of health workers’ reactions to the Dominic Cummings scandal on Twitter. | Here’s is a selection of health workers’ reactions to the Dominic Cummings scandal on Twitter. |
| From cardiology registrar Dr Dominic Pimenta: | From cardiology registrar Dr Dominic Pimenta: |
| From consultant and emergency medicine lecturer Dr Farbod: | From consultant and emergency medicine lecturer Dr Farbod: |
| From anaesthetic registrar Natalie Silvey: | From anaesthetic registrar Natalie Silvey: |
| From palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke: | From palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke: |