Dominic Cummings to make public statement this afternoon

[jon1959]

And it probably needs to be repeated, they were all within his own statement.

They are also trying to use the "fake stories in the media" line, but the most inaccurate accounts in the media were those written by him and his wife in the spectator.

Deliberately misleading? Some may conclude that.

The initial guardian/mirror reporting looks to be pretty accurate.

It is a desperate defence.

Most of the newspaper claims were confirmed by Cummings himself. The only significant one to have been dropped was the allegation (never presented as fact) that he had gone back up to Durham a week after returning to London.

The main problem with blaming 'false stories' is that Cummings had an hour in the Downing Street garden in front of the world's media to give his own version of events - and the result was that a big majority of the public became more convinced that he had broken the rules and should be sacked!

[lisvaneblue]

It is a desperate defence.

Most of the newspaper claims were confirmed by Cummings himself. The only significant one to have been dropped was the allegation (never presented as fact) that he had gone back up to Durham a week after returning to London.

The main problem with blaming 'false stories' is that Cummings had an hour in the Downing Street garden in front of the world's media to give his own version of events - and the result was that a big majority of the public became more convinced that he had broken the rules and should be sacked!

Your comment about the return trip was interesting. There was a picture in the Telegraph last week of a bloke who runs and antique shop or similar in Barnards Castle and he looks just like DC.

He commented that is frequently called Dominic and until the news broke he never knew why

[Heisenberg]

Your comment about the return trip was interesting. There was a picture in the Telegraph last week of a bloke who runs and antique shop or similar in Barnards Castle and he looks just like DC.

He commented that is frequently called Dominic and until the news broke he never knew why

Frequently?! He said that it happened once. It doesn't matter anyway as Dominic Cummings confirmed that he went to Barnard Castle.

If you think the guy on the left "looks just like DC" - maybe you need to head to Barnard Castle yourself and get your eyes tested.

[Rjk]

Your comment about the return trip was interesting. There was a picture in the Telegraph last week of a bloke who runs and antique shop or similar in Barnards Castle and he looks just like DC.

He commented that is frequently called Dominic and until the news broke he never knew why

you're desperate for this guy to catch a break aren't you?

[Heisenberg]

Matt Hancock repeatedly refuses to say whether Dominic Cummings 'did the right thing'


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...box=1590651617

[Heisenberg]

And it probably needs to be repeated, they were all within his own statement.

They are also trying to use the "fake stories in the media" line, but the most inaccurate accounts in the media were those written by him and his wife in the spectator.

Deliberately misleading? Some may conclude that.

The initial guardian/mirror reporting looks to be pretty accurate.

"It probably needs to be repeated"

You can say that again

[Heisenberg]

'Exclusive: Dominic Cummings did breach coronavirus lockdown guidelines, Durham Police say'

Investigation concludes Boris Johnson's most senior aide did commit a 'minor breach' of the lockdown rules when he drove to Barnard Castle

Dominic Cummings did break lockdown rules when he made a 50-mile journey to Barnard Castle, an investigation by Durham Police has concluded.

The Prime Minister’s most senior aide claimed he made the trip on Easter Sunday, with his wife and four-year-old son, to check he was fit to drive after suffering coronavirus-related eyesight problems.

Mr Cummings insisted he had acted “lawfully and reasonably” at all times when he made the 260-mile journey from London to Durham to self-isolate at his parents’ farm at the end of March.

But The Telegraph has learned that an investigation by Durham Police has concluded he did commit a "minor breach" of the guidelines when he drove to Barnard Castle on April 12.

However the force, which according to the most recent data, has issued 137 fines for lockdown breaches, said it would not be taking any further action against Mr Cummings.

He breached the guidelines but only a "minor breach" apparently. Is that now enough for the Govt. to not be able to keep parroting that "he kept to the guidelines"?

[Baloo]

'Exclusive: Dominic Cummings did breach coronavirus lockdown guidelines, Durham Police say'

Investigation concludes Boris Johnson's most senior aide did commit a 'minor breach' of the lockdown rules when he drove to Barnard Castle


He breached the guidelines but only a "minor breach" apparently. Is that now enough for the Govt. to not be able to keep parroting that "he kept to the guidelines"?

Minor or otherwise it begs the question who in the highest levels of government actually understands the rules they're instructing us all to keep to? None of those at the top apparently.

[the other bob wilson]

'Exclusive: Dominic Cummings did breach coronavirus lockdown guidelines, Durham Police say'

Investigation concludes Boris Johnson's most senior aide did commit a 'minor breach' of the lockdown rules when he drove to Barnard Castle


He breached the guidelines but only a "minor breach" apparently. Is that now enough for the Govt. to not be able to keep parroting that "he kept to the guidelines"?

When I was young, people in politics used to "fall on their sword" even when they weren't really guilty of much (for example, I couldn't really see why Lord Carrington resigned as Foreign Secretary over the Falklands War), but that all changed a long time ago. Now, people cling on to their jobs for as long as they can and sometimes managed to brazen it through their crisis, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. Hopefully, for the good of the country, I'm wrong, but nothing that's happened so far has been enough to get Cummings out, so I don't really see why this will alter anything.

[Rjk]

When I was young, people in politics used to "fall on their sword" even when they weren't really guilty of much (for example, I couldn't really see why Lord Carrington resigned as Foreign Secretary over the Falklands War), but that all changed a long time ago. Now, people cling on to their jobs for as long as they can and sometimes managed to brazen it through their crisis, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. Hopefully, for the good of the country, I'm wrong, but nothing that's happened so far has been enough to get Cummings out, so I don't really see why this will alter anything.

I remember when Jacqui Smith had to resign from a job it was fairly widely accepted she was doing very well because her husband watched a porno on demand

[Vindec]

Minor or otherwise it begs the question who in the highest levels of government actually understands the rules they're instructing us all to keep to? None of those at the top apparently.

It's a far more serious breach than Professor Ferguson's the SAGE member and modeller deemed to be essential to the COVID-19 response. All he did was stay at home while his girlfriend came around for booty call but was required to resign as a consequence. And what about Cummings returning to Downing St when he should have been self isolating? The whole thing is a farce. He should have been sacked as soon as the story broke.

[Baloo]

It's a far more serious breach than Professor Ferguson's the SAGE member and modeller deemed to be essential to the COVID-19 response. All he did was stay at home while his girlfriend came around for booty call but was required to resign as a consequence. And what about Cummings returning to Downing St when he should have been self isolating? The whole thing is a farce. He should have been sacked as soon as the story broke.

This feels like a tiny 'case now closed' concession to me.

[Heisenberg]

From BBC:

13:30
PM considers Cummings issue closed - No 10
Boris Johnson is standing by his top aide Dominic Cummings, following the Durham Police findings.

A No 10 spokesman said: "The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations.

"The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances, and he regards this issue as closed."

and

Durham Constabulary said it views "this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing" during the trip.

You have to leave your car to breach regulations? That wasn't made clear in the guidelines.

Also, as much as Boris Johnson believes this matter to be over, it is very far away from being over.

[lisvaneblue]

From BBC:

13:30
PM considers Cummings issue closed - No 10
Boris Johnson is standing by his top aide Dominic Cummings, following the Durham Police findings.

A No 10 spokesman said: "The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations.

"The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances, and he regards this issue as closed."

and

Durham Constabulary said it views "this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing" during the trip.

You have to leave your car to breach regulations? That wasn't made clear in the guidelines.

Also, as much as Boris Johnson believes this matter to be over, it is very far away from being over.

Still after his blood then!

[Cleve van Leef]

From BBC:

13:30
PM considers Cummings issue closed - No 10
Boris Johnson is standing by his top aide Dominic Cummings, following the Durham Police findings.

A No 10 spokesman said: "The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations.

"The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances, and he regards this issue as closed."

and

Durham Constabulary said it views "this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing" during the trip.

You have to leave your car to breach regulations? That wasn't made clear in the guidelines.

Also, as much as Boris Johnson believes this matter to be over, it is very far away from being over.

Think it’ll all be forgotten by the beginning of next week and Johnson and his bunch of spivs will get away with it. He and they don’t give a f**k about rules or the man in the street. They will continue to treat us with contempt.

[the other bob wilson]

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...h-consequences

[the other bob wilson]

Johnson stops questions about Cummings to the scientists on the grounds they are "political" - he just doesn't get it does he. This matter has gone beyond politics and goes to the heart of whether guidelines will be adhered to in the same way as they were before. There was a poll showing that 55% of Conservative voters think Cummings should go - we cannot go through this pandemic with huge numbers of people thinking that the rules do not apply to those at the top and exactly the same would apply if there was a Labour government.

[lisvaneblue]

Johnson stops questions about Cummings to the scientists on the grounds they are "political" - he just doesn't get it does he. This matter has gone beyond politics and goes to the heart of whether guidelines will be adhered to in the same way as they were before. There was a poll showing that 55% of Conservative voters think Cummings should go - we cannot go through this pandemic with huge numbers of people thinking that the rules do not apply to those at the top and exactly the same would apply if there was a Labour government.

Luckily, or maybe not, you don’t have to worry about Boris and co, because its what Mark Drakeford says that matters.

[the other bob wilson]

Luckily, or maybe not, you don’t have to worry about Boris and co, because its what Mark Drakeford says that matters.

This crosses national borders though. There are going to be people in Wales who take the "if it's good enough for Dominic Cummings, it's good enough for me" line and I can only hope that there will not be tragic consequences of such thinking - the people of the UK need to show they are better than those who govern us and their cronies, although I accept that's a low bar I've set.

[The Bloop]

Frequently?! He said that it happened once. It doesn't matter anyway as Dominic Cummings confirmed that he went to Barnard Castle.

If you think the guy on the left "looks just like DC" - maybe you need to head to Barnard Castle yourself and get your eyes tested.

Is the one on the left one of the presenters of Bargain Hunt?

[Baloo]

I was trying to be fair for DC because people are after his blood. On this board some because he did wrong, and some because he’s a Tory so can do nothing right.

In conclusion I’m pleased that our law enforcers are the ones that have come up with a fair and balanced view, at least for DC

Having purveyed yourself as offering fairness and balance to this board I felt your disinterest In any inquiry and relish at it just blowing over a little disappointing. Let’s move on.

40+ Tory MPs said he was wrong. The Daily Mail said he was wrong. A large proportion of the population when polled thought he was wrong. Even you, after his detailed statement and subsequent cabinet backing couldn’t commit to saying he was right. You might just have to accept people just think he was wrong.

I wasn’t pushing for police action. The police said they would have sent him home if he was intercepted. It’s shocking and worrying that he and the cabinet apparently don’t understand the rules they created and instruct us to follow.

[jeepster]

Having purveyed yourself as offering fairness and balance to this board I felt you’re disinterest In any inquiry and relish at it just blowing over a little disappointing. Let’s move on.

40+ Tory MPs said he was wrong. The Daily Mail said he was wrong. A large proportion of the population when polled thought he was wrong. Even you, after his detailed statement and subsequent cabinet backing couldn’t commit to saying he was right. You might just have to accept people just think he was wrong.

I wasn’t pushing for police action. The police said they would have sent him home if he was intercepted. It’s shocking that he the cabinet apparently don’t understand the rules they created and instruct us to follow.

Yep spot on

[the other bob wilson]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...-wave-covid-19

[the other bob wilson]

Clearly another case where there were exceptional circumstances;-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...th-journalists

[Vindec]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...-wave-covid-19

I agree that the Cummings excuses are laughable but in the interests of balance there is also this case - not nearly as bad as the others but are breaches nonetheless.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9540936.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/poli...-a4459551.html