Dominic Cummings 'does not regret' lockdown travel as he addresses nation

Several Conservative backbenchers have joined calls from opposition parties for Mr Cummings to quit or be sacked

Dominic Cummings believes he did the right thing by travelling in lockdown given the "exceptional circumstances" he found himself in with his family.

Mr Cummings said he believes he acted "reasonably and legally" and exercised his judgement but admitted there was room for disagreement on his actions.

He said: "Mr Cummings said "I do not regret what I did" but added that "reasonable people may well disagree".

He confirmed he did not consult the prime minister before travelling to County Durham.

The Prime Minister's top aide took questions after he addressed the media in the rose garden of 10 Downing Street. It is highly unusual for a Government aide to make such a statement.

Mr Cummings travelled 260 miles to County Durham in 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.

Further reports also suggested he took a second trip to the North East in April, having already returned to London following his recovery from Covid-19.

Several Conservative backbenchers have joined calls from opposition parties for Mr Cummings to quit or be sacked, amid warnings that his actions have "undermined" efforts to fight coronavirus.

Conservative MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley, described the situation as "frustrating" as many questions have been left unanswered as to what really happened with the Prime Minister's chief advisor.

It comes as Durham's acting police and crime commissioner, Steve White, said there was a "plethora" of additional information which deserved "appropriate examination".

He said he has written to Durham police's chief constable asking her to "establish the facts concerning any potential breach of the law or regulations in this matter".

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is chairing a Cabinet meeting where ministers are expected to discuss the easing of restrictions for certain sectors of the economy, including the reopening of some non-essential shops.

It follows confirmation that the phased reopening of England's primary schools will commence on June 1.

Mr Cummings' actions have sparked fury among some MPs, and led to warnings that he has "undermined" efforts to fight coronavirus.

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Professor Stephen Reicher, a member of the Government's advisory group on behavioural science, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "If you look at the research it shows the reason why people observed lockdown was not for themselves, it wasn't because they were personally at risk, they did it for the community, they did it because of a sense of 'we're all in this together'.

"If you give the impression there's one rule for them and one rule for us you fatally undermine that sense of 'we're all in this together' and you undermine adherence to the forms of behaviour which have got us through this crisis."

The PM also came in for stinging criticism from a bishop, who accused him of treating people "as mugs" and with "no respect" after he opted to stick by his chief aide.

The Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, tweeted: "The question now is: do we accept being lied to, patronised and treated by a PM as mugs?"

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said it was his "understanding" from the Prime Minister that Mr Cummings and his family did not break the law in their trip to Durham during lockdown.