TWO tweets from the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg reveal how Dominic Cummings’s defence has changed overnight.
The Prime Minister’s top adviser is facing calls to resign or be sacked after travelling more than 250 miles from London to his parents’ County Durham home with his wife and son at the end of March while sick with Covid-19.
READ MORE: Dominic Cummings: Laura Kuenssberg defends senior adviser
The Guardian and Mirror revealed the story last night – and Kuenssberg was quick to leap to the senior adviser’s defence. She replied to the Mirror’s political editor Pippa Crerar, who posted the story, attempting to correct her while citing an unnamed source.
Kuenssberg told Crerar: “Source says his trip was within guidelines as Cummings went to stay with his parents so they could help with childcare while he and his wife were ill – they insist no breach of lockdown.”
Source says his trip was within guidelines as Cummings went to stay with his parents so they could help with childcare while he and his wife were ill - they insist no breach of lockdown
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) May 22, 2020
But when people reacted angrily to the news Cummings could have put his elderly mum and dad at risk by asking them for help with childcare, the line changed.
This morning Kuenssberg revealed she had more details on the story, and tweeted an excerpt from Number 10’s official statement on the matter.
It reads: “His sister and nieces had volunteered to help so he went to a house near to but separate from his extended family in case their help was needed. His sister shopped for the family and left everything outside.”
2. ‘His sister and nieces had volunteered to help so he went to a house near to but separate from his extended family in case their help was needed. His sister shopped for the family and left everything outside.’ ....
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) May 23, 2020
In direct contradiction with what Kuenssberg told Crerar last night, Downing Street’s official response does not mention Cummings’s parents or a need for childcare once.
And unfortunately because Kuenssberg got her information from her trusty unnamed source, there’s no way to hold the person making the claims to account. Frustrating, right?
Number 10 has said Cummings’s journey was “essential” and in line with guidelines, but this story has sparked a real backlash – with people not typically critical of the Tory Government lining up to give their view on the incident.
It remains to be seen how the new defence will play out, but senior Tories like Michael Gove are already running around social media insisting taking care of your family is “not a crime”. Not that anybody was saying it was …
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