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Durham Police have concluded that Dominic Cummings, strategist at Boris Johnson, committed a "minor breach" of the confinement rules for his 50-kilometer drive to Barnard Castle on April 12. Cummings, who drove 400 kilometers with his family from London to Durham two weeks earlier, justified his new car outing to "test his sight" before setting out on the return journey and after recovering from the coronavirus with his wife .

Durham police, however, warned that he will not take "retroactive action" against Cummings, that he did not violate the rules of social distance and would have simply been forced to confine himself to his parents' home if he had been caught in his day by the agents.

The police investigation exempts Cummings for his trip from London to Durham to lean on his family to care for his four-year-old son Alexander, while he and his wife, Mary Wakefield, isolated themselves on their parents' farm. Police have also found no evidence of Cummings' alleged second trip to his hometown on April 19, contradicting a witness's statement.

The investigation in any case reactivated the political confrontation caused by the actions of Johnson's strategist. A Downing Street spokesman said, however, that we are facing a "closed case." Boris Johnson himself urged the British on Wednesday to "keep moving forward" in the fight against the coronavirus and to leave the "political turmoil" behind.

Losing control of the population

Labor opposition spokesman Keir Starmer said Johnson's refusal to act firmly against his strategist has served "to show his own weakness." "What really worries me is that people think," If Cummings doesn't follow the rules, why should I follow them? "Starmer warned." We are on a slippery slope and the real risk is losing control of the rules. rules".

"The prime minister has no choice but to remove his strategist," said Ian Blackford, Westminster spokesman for the Scottish National Party (SNP). "It is your integrity that is at stake, and also your responsibility to protect public health and trust in your government."

More than 40 Tory MPs have openly called for Cummings' resignation and questioned the attitude of Boris Johnson, who defended his strategist's actions as "reasonable and legal." The scandal has caused a drop in popularity of the 'premier'. 80% of Britons believe Cummings broke the rules and 65% think he should resign, according to a JL Partners poll for 'The Daily Mail'.

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