Dominic Cummings, special advisor to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has defended making 400 kilometer journey during the corornavirus lockdown last month, following criticism from across the British political spectrum. 

Cummings confirmed the story, originally reported in The Mirror and The Guardian, that he drove from his London home to his parents' house in Durham, in England's north east, while his wife had suspected COVID-19 and most of his close colleagues in Downing Street including the prime minister had contracted the virus. He stayed in a separate property on the family farm.

At the time, the guidance from the UK government was that people should stay at home for 14 days if anyone in their household showed COVID-19 symptoms. Cummings decided to make the long drive with his wife and son to stay on a cottage at his father's farm, he said, because his relatives would have been able to look after his son if both he and his wife were incapacitated by the illness. He insisted government guidelines, which he helped formulate, permitted such an action.

"I don't regret what I did and as I said, I think reasonable people may well disagree... but I think what I did was actually reasonable," said Cummings. 

"I can understand that some people will argue I should have stayed at home in London. I understand these views, I understand the intense hardship and sacrifice the entire country has gone through. However, I respectfully disagree," said Cummings, as he broke from his usual behind-the-scenes role to face media questions.

He added: "The legal rules inevitably do not cover all circumstances, including those that I found myself in."

Cummings attacked the media's reporting of events, referencing reports that he took a second trip to Durham after returning to London. "There is understandably anger, but a lot of that anger is based on reports in the media that have not been true."

However he did confirm a trip on 12 April to Barnard Castle, a 30 minute drive away from his parents' farm, stating that he, his wife and his child took the journey to see if his eyesight was good enough for him to drive back to work in London. Cummings said his eyesight had been affected by the illness. While there, the family sat by a river for what Cummings described as around 15 minutes, during which time they were seen by a passer-by. The public were told during this period that the only justifications for leaving home were for exercise, travel for essential work, to buy food or seek medical help.

Johnson is standing by his adviser, stating "I've had extensive face-to-face conversations with Dominic Cummings," adding "I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly and legally and with integrity."

Cummings "followed the instincts of every father and every parent," stated Johnson.

Many Britons, including hundreds who have complained to their MPs, saw the trip as a clear breach of the government's national "stay at home" order, introduced on 23 March. 

Cummings was heckled with calls of "hypocrite" as he returned to his London home Sunday after spending the day in 10 Downing St. In his press conference he used the presence of protestors unhappy about his political action as further justification for his decision to move his family from London.

Johnson's decision to support Cummings has also been attacked by at least 15 of his own Conservative MPs, Church of England bishops, opposition parties and several scientific advisors who are assisting the government in fighting the pandemic. 

Conservative MP, Paul Maynard said Cummings's actions were "a classic case of 'do as I say, not as I do' … It seems to me to be utterly indefensible and his position wholly untenable."

Cummings, who has been credited as the mastermind behind the Brexit referendum, is a self-styled political disruptor who openly disdains the media and has designs to radically reform the UK's civil service. The advisor - who has been sacked from two previous high profile roles in the Conservative Party after falling out with colleagues - helped Johnson win a resounding Brexit-focused election victory in December, giving him a majority in parliament of 80.

Britain's official coronavirus death toll stands at 36,793, the second-highest confirmed total in the world after the U.S. The scandal has overshadowed Johnson's plans to announce further lockdown-easing measures, including the partial opening up of schools from 1 June.

Shortly after Cummings completed his media appearance, Johnson gave his own press conference, saying that he thought that people had needed to hear first-hand Cummings' account of why he had travelled to the north east of the country.

Johnson said that he thought Cummings had come across as someone who had acted "reasonably, legally and with care for his family and others."  But the issue continued to dominate questions to Johnson, who had hoped to focus on his announcement that he intended to allow outdoor shops reopen from next week, with all non-essential shops allowed to reopen a fortnight later as long as they are "Covid-secure."