'What planet are they on?' Newspapers react after Boris Johnson stands by Dominic Cummings

Round-up of national coverage of prime minister's defence of his top adviser

Newspapers of all stripes set aside their front pages on Monday morning to respond to Boris Johnson’s defence of his most senior adviser Dominic Cummings as he faced calls to resign after travelling 260 miles to visit his family during the strictest period of lockdown.

The Daily Mail, which has been an enthusiastic supporter of the prime minister in the past, responded with incredulity to both Mr Cummings’s behaviour and Mr Johnson’s defence thereof, asking: “What planet are they on?”

The Independent said the prime minister gave “no answers” in his press conference on Sunday night and leads on demands from Tory MPs for an inquiry into Mr Cummings’s actions.

The Guardian said that in defending his adviser, the prime minister “bets all on Cummings” and also focused on calls from Tory MPs for an inquiry.

The Daily Mirror took a strong line against the pair, deeming Cummings a “CHEAT” and the prime minister a “COWARD”.

Standing behind the pair were the Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph – for the latter of which Mr Johnson was a star columnist before taking over as prime minister.

The Daily Telegraph led with a quote from Mr Johnson’s press conference last night, where he said Mr Cummings had “acted responsibly, legally and with integrity”.

The Daily Express said the “defiant” prime minister “gave his full backing” to his top adviser.

Elsewhere in the press, the i highlighted the "chaos in No 10" amid the backlash.

While The Times led with the prime minister's defence that Mr Cummings "acted like any father" in disregarding lockdown instructions.