that they are, when there has also been a slightly chaotic air about what some of the government has been doing, i think in particular these whatsapps that have been shared with us have posed a very difficult questions for downing street tomorrow. and dominic cummings has given us a very wide ranging interview, and he has got plenty more to say. interview, and he has got plenty more to say- interview, and he has got plenty more to say. laura kuenssberg in westminster. more to say. laura kuenssberg in westminster, thank more to say. laura kuenssberg in westminster, thank you. - dominic cummings: the interview will be broadcast tomorrow night on bbc two at 7pm and will be available on bbc iplayer and bbc sounds as a podcast. the latest government figures show 39,950 new infections in the latest 24 hour period, which means an average of 46,024 new cases per day in the last week. there are just over 4,000 people in hospital with coronavirus the uk s chief scientific adviser today sa
here the scientists say that the risk benefit analysis is against vaccination for all under 18 is. after the pfizer studies and the reports of heart inflammation, these are very rare side effects but our feeling is that we should take a precautionary approach before we expose millions of well children to this vaccine. fin expose millions of well children to this vaccine- this vaccine. on the day most restrictions this vaccine. on the day most restrictions were this vaccine. on the day most restrictions were lifted - this vaccine. on the day most restrictions were lifted in - this vaccine. on the day most - restrictions were lifted in england, anti vaxxers protested at westminster. the move to make vaccination a condition of entry to some venues will incense those who believe the government is already destroying civil liberties. fergus walsh, bbc news. 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, joins us now. a surge in cases, restrictions being lifted at a moment of great uncertainty
i know it happened and other people who were there know it happened. but mr cummings became a national figure for all the wrong reasons. can you defend your. actions, mr cummings? caught out by his own trip to county durham during lockdown. i had repeated security problems at my house, going back to 2019, and i was in discussions with the cabinet office in march about the situation. they had suggested maybe all of us moving into government accommodation. i had said, maybe, but maybe i willjust move them all off into my dad s farm in durham. we talked about those different options. i talked to the pm about that. my wife was kind of ill but not with the kind of official symptoms exactly. has she got it? has she not got it? so then you had the combination of security problems, which meant anyway, we were going to get out. there was. ..enormous public rage. why didn t you just tell the truth at the time? well, the situation was just.
it was extremely, um, chaotic situation. the original plan was, when i discussed it with the prime minister on the saturday and sunday was, given he knew what had actually happened, he agreed we should just say nothing about it orjust ignore it. what then happened on the monday is that he suddenly changed his mind and said, we can t stick with the original plan. you re going to have to explain it to people. i said, i m not going into all of the security stuff. and the whole thing just became a huge mess. as an advisor, dominic cummings was meant to stay in the background, but after his spectacular bust up with borisjohnson, that s not something he seems willing to do. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. that interview comes on the day that
the prime minister s former chief adviser dominic cummings has claimed that borisjohnson resisted tightening coronavirus restrictions again last autumn because the virus mainly affected the elderly. in a series of whatsapp messages seen by the bbc, borisjohnson appears to say that the people who were dying of covid were essentially all over 80 , and he didn t buy the idea of the nhs being overwhelmed. in his first broadcast interview since leaving number 10 last november, dominic cummings has accused boris johnson of putting his own political interests ahead of people s lives. tonight, number 10 said the government has always taken the necessary action to protect lives, guided by the best scientific advice. here s our political editor laura kuenssberg. a warning her report contains flashing images. putting on to record, guys. yeah, is everybody happy? no one was closer to the prime minister in government. since their bitter fallout, no one has been more vicious than him.