Mum whose son died in lockdown blasts PM's defence of Cummings as 'offensive'

A grieving mum whose son caught coronavirus and died during leukaemia treatment in hospital has angrily rejected Dominic Cummings' excuse for breaking the lockdown..

Louise Bennett has also hit out at Boris Johnson and senior cabinet ministers who defended the Prime Minister's chief aide amid public fury and calls for him to resign or be sacked.

Mrs Bennett's 14-year-old son Fred contracted Covid-19 during the lockdown and was receiving treatment for leukaemia when he died in hospital on May 3.

The mum, from Rugby, Warwickshire, said the treatment of Mr Cummings' actions as a special case is "offensive to every family" forced to make difficult decisions and huge sacrifices during the lockdown.

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The Government's guidance, she said, was "crystal clear" - if you come down with Covid-19 symptoms "you must not leave the house for any reason".

Mr Cummings made the long journey to Durham with his wife, journalist Mary Wakefield, and four-year-old son in late March despite the lockdown rules that he helped to create.

The couple both developed symptoms of coronavirus and they were required to self-isolate.

Downing Street claims the couple travelled to Durham to be closer to Mr Cummings' family so his son could be "properly cared for".

But Mrs Bennett said these were "were not extraordinary circumstances", Mr Cummings had "countless other options" and his excuse "does not cut it with me".

She and her husband spent 10 days in an en-suite hospital room with their son as they self-isolated together after he contracted coronavirus.

No other visitors were allowed - not even Fred's 11-year-old brother Arthur - and they had to find someone to take care of their younger child while they were in quarantine in hospital, saying it was an "agonising" decision as they knew that "breaking the lockdown was potentially putting other family members at risk".

After Fred died, only 10 people were allowed at his funeral due to the Government's coronavirus rules.

Mrs Bennett has sent a letter to her local Tory MP, Jeremy Wright, expressing her dismay and anger over the Cummings situation.

She wrote: "Fred was an in patient in hospital from February at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, at a time when Covid-19 was becoming an issue and when full lockdown went into effect. This added complications and trauma to an already very difficult situation.

"During this time Fred did actually contract Coronavirus and, although displaying no symptoms, we were moved to an isolation room with him in hospital. This meant that Fred, my husband and myself spent 10 days in an en suite hospital room without being able to leave, even into the corridor."

From late March, even when not in isolation, no hospital visitors were allowed other than Fred's parents.

They were moved from Birmingham Children’s Hospital to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, and told that Fred's condition was life-threatening.

Mrs Bennett wrote: "We had to make the difficult decision of finding childcare for our 11 year old, who was not allowed in the hospital.

"We agonised over this. We spoke at length to our medical teams, and infection control to establish what was and was not acceptable and whether our situation was considered exceptional enough. This now seems laughable.

"After Fred’s death, we had to return to our family to collect Arthur. Only 10 people were allowed at Fred’s funeral, which was a short graveside service on 14th May.

"We were pleased that, by that time, lockdown had eased so that his school friends felt able to at least stand outside along the route from our house to the church to pay their respects, some cycled alongside the hearse.

"However the isolation we have felt, being unable to see our friends at this time, particularly for Arthur, has been immeasurable."

She added: "Therefore you can understand my dismay at the revelations about Dominic Cummings over the weekend, and the extraordinary lengths the Government has gone to to defend his actions.

"The guidance was crystal clear. If you or a member of your family have symptoms of coronavirus you must not leave the house for any reason.

"The defence that he was anxious for the welfare of his child does not cut it with me. His wife was only mildly ill, he was showing no symptoms, these were not extraordinary circumstances.

"Quite frankly it is offensive to every family who has had to make incredibly difficult decisions and made extraordinary sacrifices in this lockdown, that this counts as a special case. I can list countless other options the Cummings family had.

"How many parents have had coronavirus whilst living with a child in the house?

"Is the Government now saying that all of them would have been free to have travelled around the country finding a more convenient place to stay whilst they were at their most contagious?"

She closed the letter by writing: "I would like you to pass on my experience to the Prime Minister, and every cabinet minister who has publicly defended Dominic Cummings' actions. I would also like your assurance that the safety of the public, and the importance of controlling the virus is more important that one man’s job."

The Prime Minister's decision to back his chief aide has sparked a revolt from backbench Tory MPs and anger from Britons who were abiding by the rules.

Mr Johnson has refused to sack his top adviser and Mr Cummings has rejected calls to quit.