Johnson Fights to Save Top Aide But Lockdown Row Deepens
- U.K. premier defends Cummings over reports he broke rules
- Dominic Cummings scheduled to make 4 p.m. statement to media
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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing his most serious political crisis since his election victory last year, with politicians from all sides including his own demanding the resignation of his top aide over claims he breached lockdown rules.
Johnson put his own authority on the line to back Dominic Cummings, his most powerful adviser, who is under attack for his decision to travel more than 250 miles (402 kilometers) to seek care for his 4-year-old child at a time when the official advice was to “stay home.” The premier said that while he understood the confusion and dismay over the episode, Cummings’s actions were “sensible and defensible.”