Boris Johnson’s senior aide Dominic Cummings has blamed the media for public anger over his 260-mile trip with his wife and child during lockdown.
Answering questions from the media at a press conference in the 10 Downing Street garden, Mr Cummings said he “completely” understood that members of the public might be angered by descriptions in the press of his trip to Durham at a time when his wife had suspected coronavirus and he believed he was about to go down with the illness.
He said that he had been shouted at in the street following the revelation of his actions on Friday.
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But he said he hoped the explanation which he gave during the press conference would allow them to see he was in a “very complicated, tricky situation”.
Asked whether he recognised that many members of the public were “furious” at what he had done, Mr Cummings replied: “I certainly do. I have seen some of the media, obviously, over the last couple of days and I’m not surprised that lots of people are very angry.
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Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
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NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
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Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
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Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
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6/30 Salford Royal Hospital
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Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
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A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
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A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
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Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
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Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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13/30 University College Hospital, London
Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
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Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
AP
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Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
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An NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
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NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
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NHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
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NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
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21/30 Mater Infirmorum Hospital
People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
Reuters
22/30 Waterloo Station, London
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Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
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A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
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Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
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A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
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29/30 Royal Derby Hospital
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NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
Getty
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Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
2/30
Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
PA
3/30
NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
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Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
Getty
5/30
Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
PA
6/30 Salford Royal Hospital
Getty
7/30 Salford Royal Hospital
PA
8/30
Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
AP
9/30
A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
Getty
10/30
A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
Getty
11/30
Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
PA
12/30
Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
13/30 University College Hospital, London
Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
AP
14/30
Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
AP
15/30
Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
Getty
16/30 London
An NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Reuters
17/30 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London
AFP via Getty
18/30 Belfast, Northern Ireland
NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
Reuters
19/30 Plymouth
NHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
Getty
20/30
NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
Getty
21/30 Mater Infirmorum Hospital
People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
Reuters
22/30 Waterloo Station, London
AP
23/30
Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
PA
24/30
A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
25/30
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
26/30
Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
PA
27/30 London
Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
Reuters
28/30
A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
29/30 Royal Derby Hospital
PA
30/30 Leicester,
NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
Getty
“If you are sitting at home watching the media over the last three days, I think lots of people would be angry and I completely understand that.
“But I hope and think that today, when I have explained all the circumstances about it, I think people will understand this was a very complicated, tricky situation and I was trying to weigh up a lot of different things.”
Mr Cummings added: “There is understandable anger but a lot of that anger is based on reports in the media which have not been true.
“It’s extremely regrettable that some of the media that were reporting some of these things that were wrong were told they were wrong but they reported them anyway, and that has caused a lot of anger.
“I know. People have shouted at me in the street ‘Why did you go back? Why did you go back to see your parents, just because you wanted to?’ But I did not do that.”
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He said that media reports in recent days suggesting that he had returned to County Durham after 13 April were “false”.
Photos and data on his phone proved that a particular report that he was in the area on 19 April was incorrect, and he was in fact in London at the time, he said.
He also described as “false” media reports that the death of his uncle during this period had played a part in his movements around the country.
“None of us saw him, none of us attended his funeral,” he said.
Mr Cummings said: “Yes, I understand that people watching the media could be very upset about what has happened, but I have explained why.”
And he added: “I understand that millions of people have seen media coverage of this issue and I know that millions have endured awful hardship , including personal tragedies, over the past few months and people are suffering every day.
“I know the British people hate the idea of unfairness. I wanted to explain what I thought, what I did and why over this period because I think the people like me who help to make the rules should be accountable for their actions.”
Mr Cummings said: “I have made mistakes with all sorts of things in government. I don’t think I’ve made a mistake about these 14 days that are in question.
“I would stress to people that they should not believe everything they read in the newspapers or everything they see on TV, because lots of the things that are reported are not in fact the case. I hope that I’ve set out today what the actual facts are and that people will feel, even they disagree with me, that I behaved reasonably in the circumstances.”
