Mum's fury at Dominic Cummings after daughter had to give cancer news on FaceTime

Dominic Cummings' coronavirus lockdown trip to Durham has drawn fury from a mother who had to find out over FaceTime that her daughter has breast cancer.

The 72-year-old woman, Christina, said her daughter had "integrity" and followed Government guidelines - those that Mr Cummings helped to create - when she chose not to deliver the devastating news in person.

Mr Cummings' boss, Boris Johnson, was telling Britons not to visit family members - especially the elderly and vulnerable - and to stay at homes to save lives and protect the NHS.

It meant that Christina couldn't hug or comfort her daughter on one of the worst days of her life - and she is now outraged after the Prime Minister defended his chief aide.

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Christina, a grandmother from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, told LBC that her daughter was worried about the risk of spreading or catching Covid-19, so she told her parents about her cancer diagnosis in a video call.

She said she was "really, really outraged" over Mr Johnson's handling of the Cummings situation.

She added: "My daughter... wanted to come and hug her mum and dad and her instincts were to come and see us but she didn't. And she has a six year old little boy who I also needed to hug but we didn't, we did it by the rules because we have got integrity.

"I think Boris Johnson has just let the people of this country down."

Christina said her family had done their part by staying home, like the Government requested, as thousands of people died.

They went through a harrowing time while "that man drives from one end of the country to another and talk about childcare - not even thinking of his parents".

Mr Johnson said he could "not mark down" Mr Cummings for the way he acted, and told the Downing Street press conference on Sunday that, following "extensive" talks with his aide, he concluded "he followed the instincts of every father and every parent".

He said Mr Cummings had "acted responsibly, legally and with integrity".

Amid public outrage and calls from about 20 backbench Tory MPs for Mr Cummings to go, the Prime Minister stood by his chief aide and refused to sack him.

There was a growing revolt within the Conservative Party amid warnings that his actions have "undermined" efforts to fight coronavirus.

Mr Cummings travelled more than 250 miles from London to County Durham in late March to self-isolate with his family - apparently because he feared that he and his wife would be left unable to care for their son - while official guidelines warned against long-distance journeys.

He denies any wrongdoing.

His wife, journalist Mary Wakefield, came down with coronavirus symptoms, and Downing Street said he developed symptoms on March 28 or 29.

Police visited his parents' Durham home on March 31 upon learning that an "individual" was there after making the trip from London despite the emergency law and guidelines that warned against long-distance journeys.

The Government was telling families to isolate at home if any member developed symptoms and telling Britons not to have any contact with elderly relatives or anyone from outside their household.

There are new claims that Mr Cummings made a second trip to the North East in April, having already returned to London following his recovery from Covid-19 symptoms.

Durham police have now been asked to formally investigate the Prime Minister's top adviser.