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Dominic Cummings refuses to resign or apologise for lockdown breach Press conference raises more questions but Boris Johnson gives full backing to adviserCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe crisis that has engulfed the government over Dominic Cummings’ conduct continued to rage unabated after an unprecedented press conference in which the prime minister’s chief aide repeatedly refused to resign or apologise for breaking lockdown rules.After an outpouring of public anger rattled No 10, he attempted to explain why he drove 264 miles from London to his parents’ estate in Durham despite suspecting that both he and his wife had coronavirus. Continue reading... Go to Source

Dutch PM Mark Rutte did not visit dying mother due to Covid-19 restrictions Office of the PM says Rutte ‘complied with all directives’ and did not see his mother in the weeks before her deathCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was unable to visit his dying mother in her final weeks because he obeyed coronavirus restrictions against visiting care homes, his office has said.The news about Rutte emerged as Britain was gripped by a political row over allegations that the top aide to prime minister Boris Johnson broke Covid-19 rules to travel cross-country to stay on his parents’ estate. Continue reading... Go to Source

‘I think I behaved reasonably’: Dominic Cummings defends actions in lockdown row Boris Johnson’s chief adviser refuses to resign in public statement from Downing StreetCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDominic Cummings has refused to resign or apologise for driving 264 miles to Durham to isolate on his parents’ property while his wife was sick with suspected coronavirus.In an unprecedented move for a senior political adviser, Cummings addressed criticism of his actions from the rose garden of No 10 Downing Street on Monday afternoon, following an outpouring of anger among the public, MPs, bishops, police, scientists and medics. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: Boris Johnson's senior adviser refuses to apologise for lockdown breach Dominic Cummings will not resign; WHO drops hydroxychloroquine from global study into experimental coronavirus treatments; Follow the latestDominic Cummings refuses to resign or apologise for lockdown breachWHO halts hydroxychloroquine trial for coronavirus amid safety fearsAustralia coronavirus - liveCoronavirus latest: at a glance 12.33am BSTThe White House on Monday issued a statement amending the timing of the start of new restrictions on travel from Brazil to the United States to 11.59pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, 26 May.The White House announced on Sunday that it was restricting travel from Brazil to the United States, two days after the South American nation became the world’s No. 2...

Dominic Cummings tries to explain when and why of lockdown trip Key exchanges from press conference given by Boris Johnson’s chief aideCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAfter more than seven weeks of refusing to give any detailed explanation about whether – and why - he had gone to Durham during lockdown, the prime minister’s special adviser Dominic Cummings took centre stage in an unprecedented press conference in the Rose Garden of No 10.Here are the key exchanges with journalists: Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Dominic Cummings says he drove to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight Boris Johnson’s most senior adviser says he has not considered resigning and does not regret his actions Johnson faces renewed Tory pressure to sack CummingsDominic Cummings facing possible police investigationGlobal coronavirus updates - liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 6.51pm BSTUnions and business groups have backed the government’s plan to bail out strategically important companies whose failure would “disproportionately harm the economy”.Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is exploring plans for the taxpayer to step in and rescue struggling companies to prevent a wave of job losses in sectors that have been hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown. Related...

WHO halts hydroxychloroquine trial for coronavirus amid safety fears Malaria drug taken by Trump could raise risk of death and heart problems, study showsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe World Health Organization has said it will temporarily drop hydroxychloroquine — the malaria drug Donald Trump said he is taking as a precaution — from its global study into experimental coronavirus treatments after safety concerns.The WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in light of a paper published last week in the Lancet that showed people taking hydroxychloroquine were at higher risk of death and heart problems than those who were not, it would pause the hydroxychloroquine arm of its solidarity global clinical trial. Continue ...

Attorney general faces calls to resign after she defends Dominic Cummings Suella Braverman’s backing undermines independence of her office, say top lawyersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage The attorney general, Suella Braverman, is facing calls to resign after she joined the chorus of Downing Street loyalists defending Dominic Cummings’s trip to Durham during lockdown.Lawyers expressed astonishment that Braverman should have joined in what opponents described as an “orchestrated political” action. Her intervention, it is alleged, undermines the independence of her office as the government’s chief legal adviser and puts her in an impossible position in relation to any subsequent police inquiry. Continue reading... Go to So...

Durham police to be asked to investigate Dominic Cummings Force to establish facts about PM’s chief aide’s trip to north-east England during lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe police and crime commissioner for Durham is to formally write to the chief constable of the force he oversees asking for an investigation into Dominic Cummings.Steve White, the acting police, crime and victims’ commissioner for Durham, will on Monday ask the force to investigate all the claims about the prime minister’s principal adviser’s time in the Durham area during the coronavirus lockdown and establish the facts. Continue reading... Go to Source

Bishops turn on Boris Johnson for defending Dominic Cummings C of E may refuse to work with government in pandemic after PM ‘breaks trust of nation’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageChurch of England bishops have fired a volley of unprecedented criticism at Boris Johnson over his defence of actions taken by his chief aide, Dominic Cummings. One suggested the church could decline to work with the government during the coronavirus crisis “unless we see clear repentance, including the sacking of Cummings”.More than a dozen bishops questioned the integrity of the prime minister following his press conference on Sunday, in which he refused to acknowledge that Cummings had breached lockdown rules when he travelled with his infected wife ...

Somerset hospital closed to new patients to halt spread of coronavirus Weston general hospital also shuts A&E department after ‘spike’ in infectionsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA general hospital in Somerset has temporarily stopped accepting new patients in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19 on site.Weston general hospital in Weston-super-Mare stopped taking admissions, including into its A&E department, from 8am on Monday “to maintain patient and staff safety”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: Spain eases restrictions in major cities; Japan to end state of emergency Madrid and Barcelona move to next phase of lockdown; UK PM continues to back senior adviser; Germany enters recession Global report: US suspends travel from Brazil as schools reopen in parts of AustraliaUK adviser Cummings facing possible police investigationUK coronavirus updates - live Coronavirus latest: at a glance 12.48pm BSTGreece has taken another step towards normality today reinstating ferry links with islands and allowing restaurants, cafes and bars to reopen, writes Helena Smith in Athens. The moves, designed to kick start the country’s tourist industry ahead of seasonal hotels also re-opening on 15 June, follow almost three months of enforced closure thanks to coronavirus. ...