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- The Dominic Cummings scandal, or the Dominic Cummings affair, was a series of events involving the British political strategist Dominic Cummings during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The events include at least one journey that Cummings, then-chief adviser of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his family made from London to County Durham after the start of a national lockdown in March 2020 while they were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Reports of the trip first emerged in May 2020 following investigations by the Daily Mirror and The Guardian. Questions arose about whether the conduct of Cummings and his wife was lawful and appropriate within the framework of government advice and guidance, given that the public were ordered to stay at home, that all but non-essential travel was forbidden during the lockdown, and that infected persons had been instructed to self-isolate. Cummings denied he had broken any rules in a press conference a few days later. Durham Constabulary investigated the trip, concluding there may have been a "minor breach", but did not take any further action. The scandal led to criticism from Members of Parliament (MPs) within and outside the ruling Conservative Party, backlash in the media and from the public, and calls for Cummings to be sacked or resign. Prominent politicians in the government, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, rejected these and expressed support for Cummings. Polling suggested support for the Conservative Party and confidence in the British government's pandemic response fell as a result of the scandal. (en)
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