UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s aide Dominic Cummings says he was in an “exceptional situation” and broke no rules when he drove 250 miles (400 km) to his parents’ house during a nationwide lockdown.
In an exceptionally rare televised statement, Cummings gave a detailed account of his movements in late March and early April, which have caused an intense political storm.
Cummings said he traveled so that extended family could care for his 4-year-old son if he and his wife, who were infected with the coronavirus, both fell ill.
Number 10 special adviser Dominic Cummings speaks at a press conference in the Rose Garden at 10 Downing Street in central London on May 25, 2020 (Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP)
His trip came after the government imposed a strict “stay home” order, and Cummings is being accused of flouting the rules he helped impose on the rest of the country.
Cummings insisted that “the rules … allowed me to exercise my judgment.”
He said “I don’t regret what I did,” though he acknowledged that “reasonable people” might disagree with his actions.
— AP
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