UK police say Johnson aide made 'minor' lockdown rule breach

British police said Thursday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s adviser Dominic Cummings likely broke the rules by traveling away from home during lockdown, but will not face further action.

Cummings has acknowledged driving 250 miles (400 km) to his parents’ house in Durham, northeast England, during the lockdown, and later taking another drive to a scenic town 30 miles (50 kms) away.

Durham Constabulary said that the second drive, to the town of Barnard Castle, might have been “a minor breach” of lockdown rules “that would have warranted police intervention" had he been caught in the act. But the force said “there is no intention to take retrospective action.”

Johnson has resisted calls to fire Cummings for apparently flouting restrictions that the government imposed on the rest of the country.

Cummings has defended his actions, saying he traveled to ensure that his 4-year-old son could be looked after if he and his wife, who both had coronavirus symptoms, became sick. He says he drove to Barnard Castle to test whether his eyesight, which had been affected by illness, was good enough for the long trip back to London.

His explanation failed to assuage the anger among many Britons who have endured two months of isolation from loved ones during the pandemic and see a double standard at work.

Johnson has stood by his aide. His office said “the police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations” and the prime minister “regards this issue as closed.”

___

Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak