Cummings' Legal Troubles: Which Laws Were Broken?

On 27 March 2020, Dominic Cummings, the then-chief adviser to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left his London home to stay at his father's property in Durham, 260 miles away. At the time, the UK was in the midst of a national lockdown, with the public instructed to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel. Cummings' trip sparked controversy and led to questions about whether he had broken lockdown laws. While Durham Constabulary concluded that Cummings' trip to Durham did not break the law, his subsequent journey to Barnard Castle was deemed a minor breach of lockdown rules.

Did Cummings break lockdown rules by travelling to Durham?

On 27 March 2020, Dominic Cummings, the then-chief adviser of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, travelled from London to Durham with his family. This was at a time when the public were being told to stay at home, and all non-essential travel was forbidden during the lockdown.

Cummings defended his actions, saying that he believed he had "behaved reasonably and legally" in the circumstances. He explained that his wife was feeling unwell, and that he and his wife were worried that they would become too weak to look after their four-year-old son. In Durham, Cummings' sister and nieces offered to help with childcare. Cummings also said that there was a proviso that journeys to facilitate childcare counted as necessary, and that he believed that this trip to Durham was therefore allowed.

Durham Constabulary investigated the trip and concluded that Cummings' journey to Durham did not break the law. However, they did not consider whether it breached the government's 'stay at home' guidance. They also said that his trip to Barnard Castle on 12 April may have been a "minor breach" of lockdown rules, but that no further action would be taken.

While Cummings received the full backing of Boris Johnson, who urged politicians and the public to "move on" from the issue, the scandal led to criticism from Members of Parliament (MPs) within and outside the ruling Conservative Party, backlash in the media and from the public, and calls for Cummings to be sacked or to resign.

Did his Barnard Castle trip breach lockdown rules?

On 27 March 2020, Dominic Cummings, the then-chief adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, travelled from London to County Durham with his family while experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. This was after the start of a national lockdown, during which the public was ordered to stay at home, and all non-essential travel was forbidden.

On 12 April, Cummings and his family drove to Barnard Castle, 30 miles from Durham, to test his eyesight and whether he was well enough to drive back to London the following day.

Durham Police investigated the trip to Barnard Castle and concluded that there "might have been a minor breach" of lockdown rules, but no further action would be taken. They stated that if Cummings had been stopped by an officer, he would have been advised to return to Durham and that no enforcement action would have been taken if he had accepted this advice.

The police view was that it might have been a minor breach because Cummings maintained social distancing and stayed more than 2 metres away from anyone. However, some questioned whether it was dangerous to test his eyesight with his wife and child in the car, and experts pointed out that it may have been a breach of the Highway Code and motoring laws.

The specific law Cummings was alleged to have breached was Regulation 6 of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020, which states that "during the emergency period, no person may leave or be outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse." The regulations do not define "reasonable excuse" but provide a non-exhaustive list of examples, such as shopping for necessities, exercising, and travelling to and from work.

The question of whether Cummings' trip to Barnard Castle breached lockdown rules depends on the interpretation of "reasonable excuse." While some argued that his actions fell under this definition, others claimed that he broke the rules and should be penalised. Ultimately, Durham Police decided not to take any further action, but the incident sparked widespread criticism and damaged public confidence in the government's pandemic response.

Did Cummings break the law by driving to collect his family from hospital?

On 27 March 2020, Dominic Cummings, the then chief adviser to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, drove 260 miles from his London home to his parents' residence in Durham. At the time, the UK was in the midst of a national lockdown, and the public had been instructed to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel. Cummings' decision to travel to Durham sparked controversy and led to accusations that he had broken lockdown rules.

So, did Cummings break the law by driving to collect his family from the hospital?

The relevant legislation governing Cummings' actions is The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020, which came into force on 26 March 2020. This law imposed restrictions on movement, prohibiting people from leaving their homes without a "reasonable excuse." The regulations included a list of 12 examples of reasonable excuses, and at first glance, Cummings' journey does not appear to fall into any of those categories.

Cummings offered two main explanations for his trip to Durham. Firstly, he argued that he and his wife were concerned about their ability to care for their four-year-old child if they both became incapacitated by COVID-19. Secondly, he claimed that his London home had become a target for harassment.

Durham Police investigated Cummings' actions and concluded that his trip to Durham did not constitute an offence. However, they noted that they were concerned only with whether Cummings had breached the regulations, not the general government guidance to "stay at home."

Legal experts have questioned whether Cummings' explanations for the trip constituted a "reasonable excuse" under the regulations. Some have argued that it is difficult to see how the Durham journey was essential, particularly regarding childcare, as there appeared to be other options available that would not have involved a 260-mile drive.

While Cummings may not have broken the law by driving to Durham, his actions did spark widespread criticism and led to calls for his resignation. The scandal also had political repercussions, with a decline in support for the Conservative Party and a decrease in public confidence in the government's handling of the pandemic.

In conclusion, while Cummings' trip to collect his family from the hospital may not have been illegal, it certainly sparked a significant amount of controversy and raised questions about the appropriateness of his actions during a national lockdown.

Did Cummings return to work while suspecting his wife might have COVID-19?

On 27 March 2020, Dominic Cummings received a phone call at work from his wife, who was feeling ill and had vomited. He returned home to check on her, and after a couple of hours, when her condition improved, he returned to work. That night, the couple discussed her situation and believed that she had caught COVID-19, even though she was not displaying symptoms such as a cough or fever. They were both worried that they would become too weak to look after their four-year-old son if he fell ill as well.

Cummings returned to work before leaving again to drive to Durham with his family that night. They stayed at a house on his parents' land, arriving at around midnight. The following day, Cummings woke up with COVID-19 symptoms, which worsened over the next few days. On 30 March, the government confirmed that Cummings had displayed COVID-19 symptoms and was self-isolating at home. However, the report did not mention the trip to Durham.

Guidance at the time stated that "all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days" if a person believed their family member may have had coronavirus. This guidance did not contain caveats for childcare, although other government advice did.

Cummings denied breaking any rules and received the full backing of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who urged politicians and the public to "move on" from the crisis. However, Durham Constabulary concluded that Cummings' trip to Barnard Castle was a potential minor breach of health protection regulations and would have led the police to advise him to return to Durham if he had been stopped.

Did Cummings edit a blog post to justify his actions?

On 14 April 2020, it was revealed that an old blog post by Dominic Cummings was edited on the evening of the same day to add a short section on coronavirus. This was the day Cummings was seen in Downing Street for the first time since 27 March.

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