Dominic Cummings: Sorry seemed to be the hardest word for the PM's right hand man
Dominic Cummings took dozens of questions, and for a man often caricatured by his enemies, he appeared human and at times nervous.
Monday 25 May 2020 21:09, UK
Extraordinary. Unprecedented.
An unelected adviser to the prime minister taking a solo news conference for 70 minutes in the Number 10 rose garden, about his own conduct, is not a spectacle Westminster has seen before or is likely to again.
And after 72 hours which have rocked Boris Johnson's government, as the PM and his cabinet swung behind Dominic Cummings in the face of growing anger, how did he do?
Well, the key thing to say is there was no apology.
Mr Cummings confirmed he had travelled 260 miles to Durham after his wife Mary fell ill and isolated there, in defiance of what most people took to be an instruction to stay at home.
He claimed he did not tell the prime minister about it - and that is the only aspect of this for which he expressed some regret.
Sympathy yes, for others in the same or worse situations who were unaware of the legal clause he uses to defend his conduct on the grounds of his "extreme circumstances" - including feeling as if his London home could be a target.
But for the public anger, he entirely blamed the media reporting of his actions.
And there is the bizarre business about his half-hour drive to Barnard Castle from Durham in order to "test his eyesight" ahead of a drive back to London. That will be picked over for some time.
What has stuck in the craw for many of his critics, including Tory MPs, is Mr Cummings perceived arrogance - refusing to give any explanation of his actions until this point other than to claim media reports were inaccurate.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on , , ,
Confirming that plenty of it was accurate, and making clear that at no point has he offered to resign or indeed considered it, won't endear him on that front.
All in all, Mr Cummings certainly didn't duck scrutiny, he took dozens of questions, and for a man often caricatured by his enemies, he appeared human and at times nervous.
He said he understood the "intense hardship and sacrifice" of others as a result of the lockdown he helped create, and asked people to understand him. Many won't - especially as sorry seemed to be the hardest word.
But Number 10 will hope its just enough to save the prime minister's right hand man.