Dominic Cummings is facing a possible police investigation under health laws over a claim that he breached self-isolation rules in north-east England, after a weekend of mounting pressure on the prime minister to sack his chief adviser.
Retired chemistry teacher Robin Lees made a complaint to the police after reporting that he
saw Cummings and his family on 12 April walking in the town of Barnard Castle before getting into a car, a joint investigation by the Guardian and Mirror can reveal.
Lees’ alleged sighting of Cummings in the town – 30 miles from Durham, where the aide had been self-isolating after developing Covid-19 symptoms – appeared to come while he was still ill, according to his own account. Writing in the Spectator last month, Cummings said: “At the end of March and for the first two weeks of April, I was ill, so we [Cummings and his wife] were both shut in together.”
At a Downing Street press conference dominated by questions about Cummings’s movements during the lockdown,
Boris Johnson did not dispute that his adviser had made a trip to the Tees Valley beauty spot.
Asked directly about the Barnard Castle visit, Johnson said: “When you look at the guidance, when you look at the particular childcare needs that Mr Cummings faced at the time, it was reasonable of him to self-isolate as he did for 14 days or more with his family where he did. I think that was sensible and defensible and I understand it.”
Lees said Johnson should have provided clearer answers. In an email to Durham police sent before the Sunday press conference, he alleged a breach of health protection regulations that officers will be obliged to investigate.
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View across River Tees to the ruins of Barnard Castle. Photograph: Ange/Alamy Stock Photo
It said: “At the time, I felt the three people getting in the car might be breaking lockdown rules. However, in light of recent information, I feel that as well as an important breach of the lockdown, there may also have been concerns over Health Protection regulations.”
He also provided the number plate of the car he saw Cummings drive away in. The email said: “I assume you are able to view CCTV to ascertain whether this vehicle travelled locally or from further away.”
Responding to Johnson’s appearance at the press conference, Lees said: “Asked directly if he visited Barnard Castle, he didn’t answer it, because now I’m totally convinced he can’t. He wasn’t clear whether Cummings had the virus or when he drove to Durham. He wasn’t clear on any details of the 14-day quarantine. He needs to be clear when symptoms started and when they finished.”
Durham police have yet to respond to Lees’ email, but the Guardian understands the force is considering whether it needs to take any further action in relation to Cummings.
As well as Lees’ complaint, the leader of the Liberal Democrats group on Durham County Council has demanded that the police open an investigation into whether Cummings broke the 2020 Health Protection (Coronavirus)