DOMINIC CUMMINGS is facing calls to resign as the Prime Minister’s senior adviser following reports he breached lockdown rules.
He allegedly travelled to his parents in Durham in late March, before being spotted out at a nearby beauty spot on April 12, when he claimed to be self-isolating with coronavirus.
Mr Cummings was later reportedly seen in Houghall Woods with his wife Mary Wakefield on April 19, despite being in Downing Street a few days earlier.
Witnesses say they were shocked when they saw the senior aide 260 miles from his London residence despite the Government message at the time being to remain at home.
Senior Tory politicians have come to his defence, but at least seven MPs from the party have so far called on the senior adviser to resign from his post.
This follows after the death toll rose to 36,822 with 147 more deaths in England alone.
Brits have been told to not flout the current lockdown rules over the May Bank Holiday weekend or risk sending the UK back to “square one.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the public that any breaching of the measures could see stricter restrictions installed once again.
Follow our coronavirus live blog for all the latest news and updates…
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POLICE BREAK UP ‘LOVE ISLAND’ POOL PARTY AT HOUSE IN EAST YORKSHIRE
Humberside Police broke up a party after they discovered seven fully clothed adults sharing a hot tub.
Officers were called to Sibelius Road, west Hull, on Saturday night, to reports of a ‘pool party’ and likened it to TV show Love Island.
Upon arrival, they found seven adults in a Lay-Z-Spa, who were all directed to leave.
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “Last night officers attended a pool party (aka seven adults fully clothes in a Lay-Z-Spa).
“All were directed to leave and deal with accordingly.
“Lockdown is NOT over. notquiteloveisland casanomore youvegotatext fromthegovernment“
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DAILY PRESS CONFERENCE TO BEGIN AT 4PM
The government’s Downing Street daily briefing will be held at 4pm today.
Details of who will chair the update are yet to be confirmed.
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SCOTTISH HEALTH SECRETARY REMINDS PUBLIC OF SELF ISOLATION RULES
Scotland’s Health Secretary Jeane Freeman issued a reminder to everyone in Scotland about the rules around self-isolation, saying the “message may have become confused in the last 24 hours because of events in other parts of the UK”.
Speaking at the Scottish Government’s latest coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, she said self-isolating is not the same as lockdown and means “you should not leave the house for any reason”.
Ms Freeman told the coronavirus briefing at the Scottish Government headquarters: “So let me be clear what we mean here in Scotland. Self-isolation means the following: if you think you have the virus, if you have a persistent cough, or a fever, or loss of taste and/or smell, you should self-isolate at home for a minimum of seven days.
“In that time you should get tested if you can, bearing in mind that testing is now open to anyone over the age of five who has symptoms.
“At the same time anyone in your household should self-isolate for 14 days to see if they develop virus, and if they do, they should self-isolate for seven days from that point.
“From the eighth day, if you do not have any more symptoms you can go back, back to the lockdown measures that apply across the country.”
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SPAIN: TOURISM CHIEFS WANT TO GIVE BRIT HOLIDAYMAKERS ‘PRIORITY’ IN JULY
Spanish tourism bosses want the UK to be given priority when the country reopens to foreign holidaymakers in July.
They want a “safe corridor” between the two countries, as the UK government is coming under pressure to scrap its 14-day quarantine for Brits returning from abroad.
Read more here.
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NIGEL FARAGE JOINS GROWING CRITICISM OF CUMMINGS
Nigel Farage argued that the growing criticism of Dominic Cummings was justified on his LBC Radio show – and said the aide’s actions “blows apart any authority” the government has.
Speaking to a caller, Mr Farage said: “If you’re at the top of the tree instructing and ordering people to stay at home – it is crucial that you follow your own rules.”
“If you’re seen to be above the law then you’re in real trouble – common sense tells me that.
“What this story does – is it blows apart completely any authority the government has got on continuing lockdown.”
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LABOUR MP SAYS CUMMINGS ‘UNDERMINES’ RULE OF LAW
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has called for a full explanation of Mr Cummings’ behaviour, arguing that what “we’ve had so far has had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend, the Labour MP said: “This is a deadly, deadly virus which spreads with speed, which is why we went into a lockdown and it’s why the Government told us and put into law a rule that we should stay at home, a rule that Dominic Cummings helped design with Boris Johnson.
“His behaviour is utterly irresponsible. He has undermined that rule, as have a whole chorus of Cabinet ministers including the Health Secretary, extraordinarily, undermined that public health rule which is about keeping people safe.”
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BREAKING: ENGLAND RECORDS 147 NEW DEATHS IN LAST 24 HOURS, TOTAL NOW 36,822
The UK coronavirus death toll today rose by 147 in 24 hours in England, with the total now standing at 36,822.
It is one of the lowest rises since March as the deadly bug’s spread continues to slow.
Of the 147 new deaths announced on Sunday: 28 occurred on May 23, 40 occurred on May 22 and 12 occurred on May 21.
Read more the latest here.
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NHS DOCTOR: CUMMINGS ‘SPITS IN THE FACE’ OF FRONTLINE WORKERS
An NHS intensive care doctor has slammed Dominic Cummings and urged the PM’s aide to quit.
Dr Dominic Pimenta said the PM’s chief aide “spits in the face” of efforts made by frontline NHS workers with his alleged breach of lockdown rule – and threatened to resign if Mr Cummings remain in the job.
He tweeted: “This is me right now heading back into the covid ICU I’ve worked for the last two months. This stuff is hot and hard work.
“Haven’t seen my parents since January. Frankly, Cummings spits in the face of all our efforts, the whole nhs. If he doesn’t resign, I will.”
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DEATHS RISE AROUND THE UK
Nine more people in Scotland have died after contracting coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 2,270.
NHS England hasn’t yet posted the 24-hour figure today.
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DOMINIC CUMMINGS ARRIVES AT DOWNING STREET
The big story of the day is of course about Dominic Cummings, who apparently repeatedly flouted lockdown by travelling with his child and sick wife to his family home in Durham.
Mr Cummings is currently at Downing Street.
He faces cross-party calls to quit.
Image supplied by Pixel8000
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MP SLAMS ‘LACK OF TRANSPARENCY’ AFTER NIKE CONFERENCE
Labour’s Ian Murray has condemned a lack of transparency from both the UK and Scottish governments as the further impact of coronavirus cases linked to a Nike conference in Edinburgh came to light.
More than 70 employees from around the world attended the event at the Hilton Carlton Hotel on February 26 and 27.
Investigations found that at least 25 people linked to the event contracted Covid-19, including eight in Scotland, but the incident was not made public until it was revealed in a television documentary earlier this month.
Mr Murray, Labour’s only MP in Scotland, said: “The lack of transparency from both governments is harming public confidence at a vital time.”
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COVID IS ‘UNIQUELY ADAPTED’ TO HARM PEOPLE
A worrying scientific report claims coronavirus is “uniquely adapted to infect humans” raising fears it may have been made in a Chinese lab.
A team of top researchers have now said those looking into the origins of the outbreak should probe the possibility it “leaked” from a science hub in the city of Wuhan.
Image: Getty
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TORY MP APOLOGISES FOR BACKING CUMMINGS
Conservative MP Robert Halfon has apologised for tweeting his support of Dominic Cummings on Saturday and said the PM’s aide should ‘face the consequences of breaking the law’.
In a statement on his Facebook page, the MP for Harlow said: “I would first like to make it clear to residents that I regret writing the tweet yesterday in the way I did about the Number 10 political adviser and his movements.
“I am really sorry for it. I do not support or condone anyone who has broken the law or regulations. Anyone who has done so should face the consequences.”
In his tweet, Mr Halfon wrote: “Ill couple drive 260+ miles to ensure that their small child can be looked after properly.
“In some quarters this is regarded as crime of the century.
“Is this really the kind of country we are?”
His statement on Sunday said: “The tweet was wrong because many thousands of people in Harlow and across the country have suffered and struggled enormously during the coronavirus.
“It has caused significant pain and hardship. My tweet did not recognise that.”
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AFC BOURNEMOUTH PLAYER HAS COVID-19
Bournemouth have confirmed one of their players has tested positive for Covid-19 following the club’s second round of testing.
The anonymous player will now self-isolate for a period of seven days, as per Premier League protocols, before being tested again at a later date.
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‘SOME CARE HOMES WILL SHUT DOWN’
Rising costs from the coronavirus pandemic could force some care home providers to close, it has been reported.
Independent Care Group chairman Mike Padgham, who runs four care homes in North Yorkshire, has told the BBC of his concerns that some of the sector’s providers will not be able to survive the pandemic.
Mr Padgham, who has already lost an estimated £100,000 from the crisis, said the industry will ultimately struggle to cope with the increasing cost of PPE and extra staff to cover for those self-isolating, as well as lost income from empty beds.
“Sadly I think some providers will go to the wall,” Mr Padgham said.
“That will mean a loss of jobs and it’s a resident’s home so where are they going to go?”
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CAMPAIGNERS TURN UP AT TOP ADVISER’S HOME
Telegraph journalist Tony Diver has just tweeted this photo from outside Dominic Cummings’ home…
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PIERS BANS MINISTERS WHO BACKED CUMMINGS
TV firebrand Piers Morgan has banned all the cabinet ministers who backed Dominic Cummings from appearing on Good Morning Britain in the future.
The TV host announced the ban as pressure mounted for Boris Johnson too fire his chief adviser after Mr Cummings visited his parents in Durham during lockdown.
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CALIFORNIA: DOCTORS HAVE SEEN MORE SUICIDES THAN COVID-19 DEATHS
Trauma doctors at a hospital in California say they are seeing more deaths from suicide than from the coronavirus.
The medics at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek near San Francisco have witnessed a year’s worth of suicide attempts in just a matter of weeks because of the strain of lockdown.
Read more on the story here.
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EIGHTH TORY MP CALLS FOR DOMINIC CUMMINGS TO QUIT
Sir Robert Syms, the Conservative MP for Poole, has joined the expanding group of Tory MPs – led by prominent ex-1922 committee chairman Steve Baker – calling for Dominic Cummings to quit.
He tweeted: “The Govt have to explain Test Track and Trace and the next phase of lifting lockdown next week.
“Whatever the merits of a Govt Advisor they should never be the story or it detracts from central message which is to get us out of this crisis. The advisor should go.”
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SNP’S IAN BLACKFORD CALLS FOR CUMMINGS TO RESIGN
The SNP’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, has joined mounting calls for Dominic Cummings to resign.
He told Sky News: “He has to go and the Prime Minister now has to sack him.
“Dominic Cummings has broken the lockdown regulations and has broken the advice that we have all been given by the government – and of course he is the architect of much of what the Prime Minister says and delivers.
“It is clear that he has to accept responsibility and he needs to go.”
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LABOUR CALLS FOR PM TO LEAD PRESS CONFERENCE AND ‘ANSWER QUESTIONS’ ON CUMMINGS
Labour has called on Boris Johnson to lead this afternoon’s press conference to “answer questions” over allegations that his chief advisor, Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules.
Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said that Labour was asking for an urgent investigation by the Cabinet Office on the matter, describing it as an “extraordinarily serious situation”.
Speaking on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said: “What we’re asking for, for two things: firstly for there to be an urgent investigation by the Cabinet Office, and second for the Prime Minister today to take the press conference, the daily press conference, himself to provide answers, because this is an extraordinarily serious situation.”
“The British people have made sacrifices, extraordinary sacrifices, to get through this crisis by following the guidelines.”
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‘BE HONEST’ WITH TEACHERS AND PARENTS ABOUT RISK OF REOPENING SCHOOLS , SAYS EXPERT
It is not a question of whether it is “safe” to open schools but of whether it is “safe enough”, a leading public health academic has said.
Professor Devi Sridhar, personal chair in global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said the Government needed to decide what “threshold of risk” is acceptable to the public.
Speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, she said in order to earn their trusts, politicians must be “completely honest with teachers and parents about scientific uncertainty”.
“We know children carry the virus, we don’t know the degree they transmit it to adults,” she said.
Prof Sridhar said: “We need to have monitoring in place – testing, tracing and the ability to break chains of transmission and identify quickly clusters in schools.”
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POPE HOLDS SUNDAY BLESSING AT ST PETER’S SQUARE
Faithful gathered and observed social distancing at St. Peters Square to hear the Pope’s first traditional Sunday blessing in months.
Pope Francis has been delivering the blessing from inside the Apostolic library during the epidemic.
Francis recalled his scheduled visit on Sunday to the Naples area to draw attention to environmental damage caused by toxic-waste dumping by the mob.
The visit cancelled during the pandemic was timed to mark the fifth anniversary of his ecological manifesto, the Pontiff announced a year of reflection on his 2015 environmental encyclical, Praised Be.
Francis came to the window and waved to the people in the piazza at the end of the blessing.
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