Dominic Cummings denies second Durham trip but admits 'short drive' to Barnard Castle 'to test eyesight'

Boris Johnson's top aide has denied making a second trip to Durham during lockdown but has admitted making a "short drive" to Barnard Castle during his initial visit.

Dominic Cummings said he made the journey to the North East because he was worried he and his wife may not be able to look after their child if they both fell ill.

Speaking after growing calls for him to resign, Mr Cummings said that by April 11 he had sought medical advice and was told it was safe to return to work.

He said that because his eyesight had been affected by the disease, his wife did not want to risk the long drive back to London so they went on a “short drive” to Barnard Castle.

He added: “My wife was very worried, particularly as my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease.

“She did not want to risk a nearly 300-mile drive with our child given how ill I had been.

Dominic Cummings in Downing Street
PA

“We agreed that we should go for a short drive to see if I could drive safely, we drove for roughly half an hour and ended up on the outskirts of Barnard Castle town.

“We did not visit the castle, we did not walk around the town.”

But he denied reports that after returning to London, he made another journey back up to Durham.

“In the last few days there have been many media reports I returned to Durham after April 13," he said.

“All these stories are false. There’s a particular report I returned there on April 19. Photos and data on my phone prove this to be false, I was in London on that day.”

The senior aide extensively laid out what happened during the trip to his parents' home in March during a statement in Downing Street on Monday.

Mr Cummings also said he did not regret his journey up to his family home and he has not considered handing in his resignation.

He added: “I believe that in all the circumstances I behaved reasonably and legally, balancing the safety of my family and the extreme situation in Number 10 and the public interest in effective government to which I could contribute.

Dominic Cummings gave a detailed account of his movemnt during the briefing
AP

“...I can understand that some people will argue that I should have stayed at home in London throughout.

“I understand these views, I know the intense hardship and sacrifice the entire country has had to go through. However, I respectfully disagree.”

Pressed on why he chose Durham to self isolate, 260 miles from London, he said it was not to see his parents but rather because it was "a nice place to be", adding: "You're allowed to exercise judgement".

He also told the press conference that he did not inform the Prime Minister before his trip to Durham and admitted "arguably this was a mistake".

Mr Cummings said he believed his circumstances were exceptional and that he acted "reasonably and legally" and had not offered to resign or considered it.

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