Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings refuses to resign amid coronavirus travel row, claiming 'I behaved reasonably and tried to minimise risks'
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Prime Ministerial aide Dominic Cummings has refused to resign insisting he "behaved reasonably and tried to minimise risks" by driving his family north during the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr Cummings drove from London to his father's farm near Durham in April, with the aim of having access to relatives for childcare when his wife started displaying symptoms of Covid-19.
In a press conference today he defended his actions, saying he took all the precautions he could and was never in contact with anyone outside of his household.
He also said he did not discuss the matter with the Prime Minister until after his departure.
He suggested the media had misrepresented the facts of the case and its coverage had provoked the current strong reaction against him.
After a offering a detailed summary of his movements, Mr Cummings said: "In this very complex situation I tried to exercise my judgment as best I could.
"I believe that in all circumstances I behaved legally and reasonably, balancing the safety of my family and the extreme situation in Number 10, and the public interest and effective government to which I could contribute.
"I can understand that some people will argue that I should have stayed at my home in London throughout. I understand these views, I know of the intense hardship and sacrifice that the entire country has had to go through, however I respectfully disagree.
"The legal rules, inevitably, do not cover all circumstances, including those that I found myself in.
"I thought, and I think today, that the rules, including those regarding small children in extreme circumstances, allowed me to exercise my judgment about the situation I found myself in.
"I accept, of course there is room for reasonable disagreement about this."
Mr Cummings was asked to respond to concerns voiced by experts advising the government that his actions have undermined the government's safety message.
He said he thought they were "right to be worried" but blamed the situation on the way his movements had been reported rather than on what he actually did.
Asked if he would resign if the controversy continues to impact government he said: "I am here to do the best I can for the government and change the country for the better.
"I am not saying I know I am right. I am saying this is why I did it at the time."
Earlier Highland MP and the SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said: "This should be a resignation statement, not a PR exercise. It is about taking responsibility.
"When Catherine Calderwood (Scotland's former chief medical officer who resigned after revelations she had travelled twice to her second home, in breach of lockdown rules) apologised she recognised it wasn't enough and resigned to protect confidence in the public health message.
"Failing to resign would not only be hypocrisy but, far more importantly, it would damage the public health message and could ultimately put lives at risk.
"Putting on a show must not be used to prevent the Prime Minister answering questions or divert attention from his responsibility to sack Mr Cummings."
