Theresa May says Dominic Cummings did not 'follow the spirit' of lockdown

Theresa May has told constituents she feels Dominic Cummings failed to ‘follow the spirit’ of the coronavirus guidance.

The former prime minister said in a statement to voters in Maidenhead that she could ‘well understand’ the public’s ‘anger’ at the revelation he drove 260 miles from London to Durham at the height of lockdown.

Mrs May said the furore has shown ‘that there was a discrepancy between the simple messages given by Government and the details of the legislation passed by Parliament’, adding: ‘In these circumstances I do not feel that Mr Cummings followed the spirit of the guidance.’

She went on to express that one of her ‘biggest concerns’ has been the ‘ongoing focus’ on the prime minister’s chief aide which has been ‘detracting from the most important task’ of getting the country back on its feet, The Mirror reported.

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Mrs May, who served as Home Secretary for six years before entering Number 10, is the latest senior Conservative to weigh in on the row.

Around 40 Tory MPs have called on Mr Cummings to be sacked or to resign, while a petition for him to lose his job has surpassed one million signatures.

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Critics argued Mr Cummings broke lockdown by driving to Durham, as government guidelines state anyone with coronavirus symptoms should self-isolate for seven days at home.

The PM’s aide said he decided to go to Durham so he and his wife could call upon childcare for their young son if they were both incapacitated by the virus.

He explained that a journey to Barnard Castle had been an expedition to test whether his eyesight was up to the drive back down to London.

Durham Constabulary concluded the Prime Minister’s chief adviser may have committed ‘a minor breach’ of lockdown rules, but will face no further action.

In a press conference on Monday, Mr Cummings insisted he had acted ‘lawfully and reasonably’ at all times and had no regrets.

He was backed by Boris Johnson, with a spokesman for Number 10 earlier saying: ‘The Prime Minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances and he regards this issue as closed’.

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