London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 25, 2025

Dominic Cummings 'made second lockdown trip'

Dominic Cummings 'made second lockdown trip'

The prime minister's chief aide Dominic Cummings is facing fresh allegations that he breached lockdown rules.

He and the government had said he acted "reasonably and legally" by driving from London to County Durham while his wife had coronavirus symptoms.

But the Observer and Sunday Mirror are now reporting he was seen a second time in the North East, after recovering from his own Covid-19 symptoms and returning to work in London.

No 10 said the story is "inaccurate".

Ministers said Mr Cummings and his wife had chosen to self-isolate at a property adjacent to other family members in case they needed help with childcare.

Speaking to reporters outside his home in London on Saturday, he said he would not be resigning and had done the "right thing" by travelling 260 miles with his wife and young son to be near relatives when she developed Covid-19 symptoms at the end of March.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps justified the adviser's trip, saying he "stayed in the same place" and was seeking support with childcare.

But the Observer and the Sunday Mirror said witnesses have reported seeing Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle, more than 25 miles from Durham, on 12 April.

On 14 April, he was seen in London. According to the papers, he was spotted again in Houghall Woods near Durham on 19 April.

Mr Cummings is yet to respond to the new claims.


Who is Dominic Cummings?

Caring for children - what are the lockdown rules?

What are social distancing and self-isolation rules?

The BBC's political correspondent Iain Watson says that ministers will be hoping that questions about Mr Cummings' movements will not have dented public trust in the government's lockdown guidance.

The story of Mr Cummings' journey to Durham originally appeared in the Guardian and Daily Mirror on Friday evening.

In response to the fresh claims in the papers' Sunday publications, Downing Street said: "Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings.

"Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April.

"We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers."

Opposition parties renewed their calls for the prime minister's adviser to go.

The SNP's Ian Blackford said Mr Cummings "has to leave office", while acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told BBC Radio 5 Live: "If Dominic Cummings has not been sacked by tomorrow, I think the prime minister's judgement is in serious doubt."

Government advice had been for people to stay at home during the first weeks of lockdown. Self-isolation at home continues to be advised for those with coronavirus symptoms.

However, ministers offered their support to Mr Cummings earlier in the day, with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove tweeting: "Caring for your wife and child is not a crime."

England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries also said all health guidance should be applied with "common sense".

But following the fresh reports concerning the alleged second visit to County Durham, a Labour source said: "If these latest revelations are true, why on earth were Cabinet ministers sent out this afternoon to defend Dominic Cummings?"

Before the new allegations, both Labour and the SNP said Mr Cummings flouted the government's own advice and called for an urgent inquiry into his conduct.

It comes as the government announced 282 more people had died with coronavirus since Friday, across all settings, bringing the total to 36,675.

When approached by reporters outside his home on Saturday, Mr Cummings said he "behaved reasonably and legally" when asked about the trip from London to Durham, which took place in late March.

Asked whether it looked good, he said: "Who cares about good looks? It's a question of doing the right thing. It's not about what you guys think."

He was later asked by reporters whether he would reconsider his position, he said: "Obviously not."

"You guys are probably all about as right about that as you were about Brexit: do you remember how right you all were about that," he added.


PM's support


Mr Cummings masterminded the 2016 Vote Leave campaign before being made Prime Minister Boris Johnson's chief political adviser.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the prime minster - who has not commented so far - had "full confidence" in Mr Cummings, following calls from the SNP and the Scottish Labour Party for him to quit or be fired.

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Steve White said it had been "most unwise" for Mr Cummings to make the journey, "given the whole ethos" of the government's guidance.

The initial reports in the Guardian and the Daily Mirror newspapers quoted police saying they had spoken to a family in Durham on 31 March and about the "guidelines around self-isolation and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel".

A statement by Downing Street was issued on Saturday, denying that police had spoken to Mr Cummings or his family "about this matter, as is being reported".

In an updated statement on Saturday evening, Durham Police said officers learned of his trip on 31 March and spoke to Mr Cummings' father the following day.

"During that conversation, Mr Cummings' father confirmed that his son had travelled with his family from London to the North-East and was self-isolating in part of the property.

"Durham Constabulary deemed that no further action was required. However, the officer did provide advice in relation to security issues," a statement from the police force said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×