"It ain't over yet" - Shelagh Fogarty's reaction to Durham Police's Cummings report
28 May 2020, 14:38
"It ain't over yet" - Shelagh Fogarty's reaction to Durham Police's Cummings report
A police investigation has concluded that Boris Johnson's senior aide Dominic Cummings "might have" made a minor breach of coronavirus lockdown rules.
Durham Constabulary concluded Mr Cummings would have been in minor breach of lockdown rules had he been stopped by an officer when he drove to Barnard Castle, but the force will not take any retrospective action against him.
LBC's Political Editor Theo Usherwood was on air with Shelagh Fogarty to read the statement from Durham Police. He began by sharing that "Durham Constabulary has concluded the 260 mile trip to Durham was fine" referencing Dominic Cummings' initial journey from London to find childcare for his son should he and his wife have to isolate for coronavirus.
Theo went on to say that the statement concluded that there "might have" been a minor breach of regulations in the family's journey to Barnard Castle, and if there were officers present to witness Mr Cummings' activities they would have "likely advised Mr Cummings to return to the address in Durham" adding that if the Prime Minister's chief aide had listened to police advice "no enforcement action would have been taken."
Shelagh then heard from Theo the reaction from 10 Downing Street whereby it was said that the "Prime Minister believes Mr Cummings has behaved reasonably" in his actions.
As to whether this means the case is closed remains to be seen. Theo told Shelagh that in the statement from Downing Street Boris Johnson is "continuing to give Mr Cummings his full backing."
Referencing the fact that there will be no further action taken from Durham Police on the matter, Shelagh noted that "people will want to know why" the Prime Minister's chief advisor will get off scot-free.
She added that the statement "sounds like the police are accepting the panicky who'll look after my child defence" as she referenced Dominic Cummings' reason for travelling to Durham from London, but not wholly accepting that he travelled to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight.
Shelagh ended her conversation with Theo by warning the Prime Minister that the controversy surrounding his principal advisor isn't finished "much as you'd like to think it is."
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