- Britain's newspapers are continuing to heap pressure on
Dominic Cummings to resign. Boris Johnson 's chief adviser has provoked outrage for leaving London to drive 260 miles to Durham during the height of the UK'scoronavirus lockdown.- Cummings sought to explain his actions in a press conference on Monday.
- However, the outrage has not greatly subsided.
- The Daily Mail's headline on Tuesday was "No Apology, No Regrets,' with the Conservative-leaning newspaper asking: 'So how can he survive?'
- A government minister has quit over Cummings' actions.
Dominic Cummings' defence of his 260-mile drive to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown has failed to win around the UK press, with newspapers heaping more pressure on Boris Johnson's most senior adviser to resign.
Tuesday's front pages will likely make alarming reading for Prime Minister Johnson and Downing Street, with even The Daily Mail, a newspaper famous for its support of Johnson and Conservative party, taking aim at Cummings.
Johnson is under pressure to sack Cummings after his most senior adviser in March left London with his family to drive 260 miles to relatives in Durham, during the height of the UK's lockdown. Before returning to London, Cummings drove himself and his family to Barnard Castle, a popular tourist destination 30 miles from Durham.
Cummings on Monday said he did not regret his actions, as he wanted to make sure he had childcare for his son should he and his wife fall too ill to care for him. Cummings and his wife both had coronavirus symptoms at the time.
However, his explanation failed to quell claims that he broke lockdown rules.
Conservative MPs have told Business Insider that they are still receiving dozens of emails from angry and upset constituents. Junior UK government minister Douglas Ross resigned as Under Secretary of State for Scotland on Tuesday morning, saying that a majority of Brits did not agree with Cummings' actions.
He wrote: "I have constituents who didn't get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn't visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the Government.
"I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right."
Britain's front pages show Cummings little sympathy
In what will be a particularly worrying sign for Downing Street, there was a rare sight on Tuesday morning when the Conservative-supporting Daily Mail aligned with the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror to chastise Cummings.
The Daily Mail's front page reads "No Apology, No Regrets" and poses the question "So how can he survive?".
The Daily Mirror's very similar headline says "No Regrets, No Apology." It was the Daily Mirror's political editor, Pippa Crerar, who first broke the stories on Cummings' contentious trip alongside The Guardian newspaper.
—Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) May 25, 2020
—Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) May 25, 2020
The Metro newspaper shows little remorse for Cummings, brandishing on its front page a mock-up of the UK government's "Stay Alert" graphic which reads "Stay Elite." This coverage will add to Downing Street concerns that Cummings' actions will lead Brits to think it's one rule for them and another rule for those in the UK government.
—Metro Newspaper UK (@MetroUKNews) May 25, 2020
The Guardian and The Times newspapers both focus on Cummings refusal to admit wrongdoing.
The Guardian quotes Johnson's most senior adviser, who on Monday said he didn't regret his decision to leave London during the height of the lockdown. The Times' headline reads "Cummings: I did not break lockdown rules."
—The Guardian (@guardian) May 25, 2020
—Helena Wilkinson (@BBCHelena) May 25, 2020
It's not a totally bad set of frontpages for Cummings, with the Conservative government's most supportive newspapers opting to focus instead on Prime Minister Johnson's plans to ease the lockdown further in coming weeks.
The Telegraph, The Sun, and The Express all devote most of their frontpages to the UK government's plans to re-open swathes of the economy next month.
—Helena Wilkinson (@BBCHelena) May 25, 2020
—The Sun (@TheSun) May 25, 2020
—Daily Express (@Daily_Express) May 25, 2020Read the original article on Business Insider