Inside Politics: Coronavirus special: Dominic Cummings mocked over trip to ‘test eyesight’

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Tuesday 26 May 2020 07:59 BST

The most puzzling moments from the Dominic Cummings press conference

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been accused of breaking social distancing rules after he and his partner were snapped enjoying the sun while standing close to their friends in a Dublin park (the two-metre rules applies in Ireland). Still, the tizzy in the Irish tabloids is nothing compared to the furore over Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham. The No 10 adviser’s explanation of the drive to Barnard Castle – he wanted to check his eyesight – has done little to dim the perception he flouted lockdown rules. We’ll have to wait and see if some of the fuzzier Tory MPs find their view of the situation has cleared up. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

Our chief political commentator John Rentoul on what to look out for today:

A quiet day in Westminster on Tuesday, unless someone decides to hold another long news conference in the garden of No 10. The only business today is the House of Lords economic affairs committee, which is taking video evidence on the impact of the crisis on the number of people claiming universal credit. There will be the usual government briefing at 5pm in No 10, with the minister and supporting cast to be announced later today.

Daily briefing

JE NE REGRETTE REIN: Explaining the ins and outs of his trip to Durham from a school fete table in the No 10 garden, Dominic Cummings insisted “I don’t regret what I did” and repeatedly claimed he “behaved reasonably” given his “tricky” circumstances. Boris Johnson’s top advisor said his family’s case was simply too exceptional to stick to lockdown restrictions: “It doesn’t say, ‘You should stay at home in all circumstances’. It says there are some circumstances in which you won’t be able to follow those rules.” Is all this going to go away? It’s fair to say Cummings’ defence for driving 30 miles from Durham to Barnard Castle – to test his eyesight – has been met with scepticism. Johnson defended his right-hand man, claiming he too had suffered from weird eyesight when ill. “I have to wear spectacles for the first time in years,” said the PM – adding that he regretted “the confusion and the anger and the pain that people feel”.

EYEBROWS OVER EYESIGHT: The Rose Garden defence was enough for a small trickle of Tory MPs to pipe up in support of Cummings. But his critics won’t let up. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the press conference had been “painful to watch,” while the SNP’s Ian Blackford called it “a botched PR exercise that changes nothing”. Acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey added: “He said he went driving to test his eyesight – come on.” It prompted Police Federation chair John Apter to warn anyone concerned about their vision not to drive in order to “test” it. Does the Cummings story really have “cut-through” with the public? Will it have an impact on lockdown obedience? One 26-year surfer from Warwick found on a crowded beach in Dorset told MailOnline: “If Dominic Cummings can travel from London to Durham … then really no one can say anything.”

HEY BIG SPENDERS: Amid the madness, Johnson did have an announcement to make at his own press conference: all non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen in England from 15 June, while outdoor markets and car showrooms can resume business from 1 June. The PM, who said it would give retailers time to make sure social distancing measures were in place, urged people to get back out and spend money to help the economy “bounce back”. While the British Retail Consortium welcomed the news, the British Association of Independent Retailers said it was “disappointing”, given many small shops had been expecting to open their doors on 1 June. It seems our social lives will be on hold a bit longer. According to The Times, Johnson told ministers people might be allowed to hold barbecues and garden parties at the end of June as part of government plans to allow people to mix with a “bubble” of friends and family.

MASKED MAN: Donald Trump didn’t bother wearing a mask during a Memorial Day ceremony at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry or while laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. His rival in the presidential race Joe Biden, however – making his first public appearance in 10 weeks – wore a black face mask to lay a wreath at a memorial for veterans in Delaware. “It feels good to be out of my house,” said the Democrat. Trump mocked his opponent during a Fox News interview: “I’d love to see him get out of the basement so he can speak,” while Biden fired back on Twitter: “The presidency is about a lot more than tweeting from your golf cart.”

BLUNDER DRUG: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has decided to suspend a clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine – the anti-malaria drug Trump has been taking in a bid to keep the coronavirus at bay – because of safety concerns. It follows research published in The Lancet medical journal stating the use of the drug for Covid patients increases the risk of serious heart arrhythmias by 137 per cent. The authors said their study “points to potential harm in hospitalised patients with Covid-19”. In Brazil, president Jair Bolsonaro has loosened the protocols around the use of chloroquine in the treatment of the virus, despite the lack of clinical proof it benefits patients.

WEANED OFF WELFARE: Australian prime minister Scott Morrison is today set to unveil his plan to get the economy back to something like normal. He said on Monday he wanted to wean the country off the “medication” of emergency support – with unemployment at 10 per cent and around 5 million people currently dependent on subsidies set to run out in September. Promising to bring together unions, employers and business groups, Morrison said: “At some point you’ve got to get your economy out of ICU [intensive care unit]. You’ve got to get it off the medication before it becomes too accustomed to it.”

On the record

“The legal rules do not cover all circumstances, including those that I found myself in.”

Dominic Cummings claims his own situation was too complex for the rules.

From the Twitterati

“Oh dear. By his own account he broke the rules 3 times. Apologising is the least he could do when so many people have made such enormous sacrifices ... Feels like we’ve got the blind leading the blind.”

BBC’s Gary Lineker wasn’t impressed...

“So he’s not sorry. We are too thick to appreciate the nuances of the rules. It’s all the media’s fault. And the emperor has no clothes.”

…and neither was ITV’s Lorraine Kelly.