Boris Johnson refuses to say whether parents should stay at home or ‘do as Dominic Cummings did’

Boris Johnson has refused four times to say whether infected parents in the same situation as Dominic Cummings should stay at home – or leave to ensure childcare.

The prime minister also refused to publish the evidence he claimed had cleared his chief aide of breaching lockdown rules, when he fled London for Durham, or allow the cabinet secretary to hold an inquiry.

Challenged at a fiery committee meeting to say whether parents should “do as Dominic Cummings did”, Mr Johnson said only that they should “take account” of any “exceptional circumstances”.

Pressed again, he said parents with suspected Covid-19 and struggling with childcare may have to “vary your arrangements”, but without saying how.

Labour’s Yvette Cooper accused him of “ducking” the critical question on the nation’s lips, telling Mr Johnson: “The reason you are not giving people a direct answer is you are trying to protect Dominic Cummings.”

An annoyed prime minister hit back, insisting: “I’m not ducking it”, accusing critics of his key aide of “party political point-scoring”.

But Ms Cooper told him he was “trashing” the public health message needed to get coronavirus under control, in order not to “incriminate Dominic Cummings”.

Accusing him of repeating earlier mistakes that had led to “40,000 dead”, Ms Cooper said: “You have a choice between protecting Dominic Cummings and putting the national interest first. Which will it be prime minister?”

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