MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2020) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top aide Dominic Cummings told a press conference on Monday that he was not considering his resignation amid a scandal around his breach of stay-at-home guidance, outlining the reasons why he violated the quarantine, and stating that he did not regret his actions.
This past weekend, The Guardian newspaper reported that Cummings, his wife and their child traveled 260 miles from London to the northeastern city of Durham in late March to stay with his parents after his wife started displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Cummings's trip went against government guidance that implores anyone with symptoms of the disease not to leave their house for any reason. The aide justified his decision by saying that he and his wife wanted to ensure that they could guarantee childcare in the event of both of them falling ill with the disease. Johnson and leading cabinet ministers have backed Cummings, saying that he acted responsibly.
"I have not offered to resign. I have not considered it," Cummings said, answering a relevant question.
Any rules, including ones of the current lockdown, usually allow exceptions, he said, defending his case.
"In some circumstances you won't be able to follow the rules and it seems to me that I was in such an exceptional circumstance and I was trying to balance all these very complicated things," the aide said.
Cummings said he did not regret what he did, acknowledging that he had not consulted with the government about his actions.
He only admitted that he regretted that he did not make a statement earlier, given the scandal that arose.
Cummings was the architect of the UK's successful Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum and was later appointed as Johnson's lead adviser.
