Mrcummings insists he dominate todays press conference. Mr cummings insists he acted legally by driving from london to County Durham in march while his wife had coronavirus, but new reports suggest he was seen in the north east of england on two further occasions. There is growing pressure from within the conservative party itself for borisjohnsons top adviser to step down. The country cannot afford this nonsense, this pantomime now. Dominic should go and we should move on and deal with the things that matter in peoples lives. And we will have a special report on the impact on care homes as care leaders say two months into the pandemic support, for homes, remains not great. You can only hold their hand, not give them a cuddle, i cannot do myjob, it not give them a cuddle, i cannot do my job, it makes not give them a cuddle, i cannot do myjob, it makes me feel frustrated inside. Welcome to viewers on bbc one, building up to todays Coronavirus Briefing from the government. Theres growing pressure from within the conservative party for borisjohnsons top advisor, Dominic Cummings, to step down, because of allegations that he broke lockdown rules. He and the government say he acted reasonably and legally by driving more than 250 miles north from his london home to County Durham for childcare reasons when his wife had coronavirus symptoms. Theyve also dismissed as inaccurate claims he was seen in the north east of england on two more occasions. Heres our political correspondent, helen catt. Are you going to resign . Correspondent, helen catt. Did you leave the family home in durham while you were there . Is it one rule for you and another rule for everybody else . Dominic cummings facing more questions about his decision to travel more than 250 miles with his wife, ill with suspected coronavirus, to seek back up childcare. Now, some conservative mps have broken ranks to say it has to stop and he has to go. I think his position is untenable. It is because of dominics slogans around these rules that mums and dads, grannies and grandpas across the country will have felt that they had to stay at home if covid got into their families, and of course they also care about their children. On the 23rd of march, Boris Johnson announced lockdown restrictions. The last time Dominic Cummings was spotted in downing street before developing covid symptoms was the 27th of march. He returned to work on the 14th of april and spent the intervening time at a family property near relatives in durham, where the transport secretary, grant shapps said yesterday he had stayed put. But fresh allegations claim that, on the 12th of april, he was seen at a tourist hot spot, Barnard Castle, 30 miles from where he was staying, and in durham once again on the 19th of april, after he returned to london, although downing street denies this. Grant shapps was pressed to explain the apparent contradictions. As i understand it, the most important thing here is that mr cummings and his family remained, er, locked down. They did not then, as i think some of these stories start to suggest, move around. I also understand that it is not true that he came back. He came back on the 14th of april. It is not true that he then returned to durham, i think there has been some sort of, i think, incorrect reporting. It is that sort of exchange which some tory mps now believe is losing the Government Authority and risks confusing the Public Health message at a crucial time. Labour, the liberal democrats and the snp have all written to britains most senior civil servant, sir mark sedwill, asking him to investigate. The british people have made sacrifices, extraordinary sacrifices, and the particular situation of Dominic Cummings, where there was someone in his household with the suspected symptoms of coronavirus, the guideline was very simple about not leaving home. The allegations we have seen are extraordinarily serious and they do need to be dealt with. Labour has also called on the Prime Minister to answer questions, drawing him directly into the row about his adviser. Lets talk to our political correspondent, nick eardley, who is in downing street. The pressure is mounting, but at the moment it seems that the cabinet and the government are sticking by mr cummings. Yes, and weve heard that defence of mr cummings from a number of ministers over the last 2a hours oi of ministers over the last 2a hours or 0. Of ministers over the last 2a hours or so. Grant shapps, of ministers over the last 2a hours orso. Grant shapps, as of ministers over the last 2a hours or so. Grant shapps, as you heard of ministers over the last 2a hours orso. Grant shapps, as you heard in helen s package, the transport secretary without batting for mr cummings again morning and he has beenin cummings again morning and he has been in number ten for about four and a half hours now, fairly long period of time, suggesting to me that he isnt going anywhere. If he was going to be sacked or resigned you would assume he would have been in and out pretty quickly. Its certainly not a conversation that ta kes certainly not a conversation that takes four and a half hours. We also know that the press conference is normally out for pm on a sunday, so normally out for pm on a sunday, so normally in the next five minutes or so, has been delayed by an hour. We dont know for sure and weve not had it confirmed who is going to be hosting the press conference, but we know there is a lot of pressure on the Prime Minister to come out and tell us what he knew about mr cummings movements as well. I think thats what a lot of people will be looking for over the next few hours, among them a number of tory mps who have not come out yet and criticised mrcummings and have have not come out yet and criticised mr cummings and have not yet called for his resignation. They want to know exactly what went on and whether there is that rebuttal of those claims in the mirror and guardian about mr cummings notjust going to durham once, but potentially visiting nearby and going back to london, something so far that number ten is denying. That does seem to be the key, at the moment. We heard from grant shapps, the transport secretary, saying the most important thing is that the family stayed locked down when they got up to the north east. Now, clearly, the government believes it can defend that position but the suggestion from the reporting subsequently is that mr cummings left to go to a beauty spot on the 12th of april and then, once he had recovered or his wife had recovered from coronavirus and he returned back to downing street after self isolating, he returned to the north east again on the 19th. Now if those reports are right, that means the governments argument doesnt fly and, frankly, mr cummingss position is untenable. It becomes a lot harder to defend, absolutely. We do know that 10 downing street is dismissing that suggestion that mr cummings came back to london after originally travelling to durham and then went back to the north of england. They are saying that didnt happen and we heard that from the transport secretary this morning. There is a bit more uncertainty about that other allegation you mentioned, that when mr cummings had travelled to durham initially after his wife had shown coronavirus symptoms, he said he wanted to get close to his family to make sure he had childcare if he got sick from their young son. That second allegation, that he was seen that somewhere 30 miles outside of durham, isa somewhere 30 miles outside of durham, is a really tricky one for the government and i think that is something a lot of people will be looking for explanations of, because we know that the rules are, if you have coronavirus, if you are showing symptoms, you dont leave the house. At that point you are to self isolate, take yourself out of society and remove yourself from the public realm altogether. We know mr cummings thinks he had a reason to travel to durham in the first place, to make sure he had childcare, but then travelling somewhere else within that vicinity is a lot more tricky for the government to explain, so we will be looking for a nswe is explain, so we will be looking for answers on that in the press conference in an hour or so, but as i say, i get the impression nothing has changed in there. I dont think borisjohnson is has changed in there. I dont think Boris Johnson is about has changed in there. I dont think borisjohnson is about to sack mr cummings. I dont think hes going to resign. It does seem that 10 downing street think they can tough this out. You notice a bit of activity behind me in the last few minutes as we had Stephen Powys from Public Health england arriving for the press conference, so i suspect he will be there. Those questions will remain on the danger for Boris Johnson is in what is going to be a really crucial week as the government tries to persuade us all that its time to start gradually reopening the economy, opening schools potentially from a week on monday for some pupils, that is what borisjohnson monday for some pupils, that is what Boris Johnson wants to monday for some pupils, that is what borisjohnson wants to be talking about. The government wants to be telling us that it is time to start thinking about reopening parts of society rather than talking about whether his own chief adviser flouted the rules that weve all been told consistently that we have ican bring i can bring in our viewers from around the world on bbc world news who are watching this now. Were building to todays Coronavirus Briefing from the uk government. It will be at 5 oclock this evening, led by the Prime Minister borisjohnson, amid growing pressure from within his own party for his chief advisor Dominic Cummings, to step down, because of allegations that he broke lockdown rules. Lets talk to our political correspondent, nick eardley, who is in downing street. To be clear, this whole conversation about mrcummings to be clear, this whole conversation about mr cummings isnt necessarily about mr cummings isnt necessarily about his travel diary and what he did and did not do. Ultimately, its about the credibility of the governments message on coronavirus and the importance of keeping institutions like the National Health service going, because members of the public are sticking to the rules. Youre absolutely right, and that the really awkward thing for number ten this afternoon, its the fact that for the last few weeks weve all been told consistently to stay at home unless its completely necessary and if you have coronavirus symptoms, dont leave the house, youve got to self isolate at that point. We know that the Prime Ministers trip advisor, one of the men behind the stay message by the way chief adviser, we know that he did travelled 260 miles from london to durham, in the north of england, because he was worried about childcare and his wife had shown coronavirus symptoms and he was worried he would get them as well and wanted to make sure, he says, that there was someone to look after his son. The problem for the government is, does that undermine their message . Weve been hearing from conservative mps this afternoon around eight so far, who have said that mrcummings around eight so far, who have said that mr cummings should resign because he has undermined that Public Health message. They are getting messages from their constituents saying, look, ive had people who have been sick in my family and ive needed childcare and had someone in another part of the country that i felt i needed to do, but i didnt, because i was following the rules. That is the big dangerfor the following the rules. That is the big danger for the government here. There is a perception of one rule for ministers and one for their close advisers and a different rule for everybody else. Number ten is denying that and has stuck by mr cummings and you get the impression that they are still doing that and i suspect that is what we will hear from borisjohnson suspect that is what we will hear from Boris Johnson in suspect that is what we will hear from borisjohnson in an hours time, but the danger for the government is that it starts to eat away at some of the credibility they have to tell us all to follow the rules if there is a perception that one of their own is not doing the same. 0k, nick, thank you very much. Live at number ten. Speaking on andrew marrs show this morning, the transport secretary, grant shapps, defended Dominic Cummings. My understanding is that he stayed there, in the house, for the 14 days, until he would have been out of the sort of quarantine period. Thats my understanding of the situation. Are you absolutely sure that he was not back in durham, seen walking in a bluebell wood on the 19th of april . Yeah, again, my understanding is that hes been down in london since the 14th of april and has not returned to durham since that time. So, i mean, as i say, look, theres been a lot of stuff in the papers. I mean, were throwing all these dates around. No, no, i know that. Just because somebody. It may come as a surprise to you, butjust because you see it in the newspaper doesnt mean that it is true. No, im trying to establish whats true. Now, you say that he definitely didnt go back up to durham. How do you know that . Who have you spoken to . Because the statement from number 10 says that once he came down to london, on the 14th, hes remained in london since. And the reports of him being back up in durham since i think you said it was on the 19th are erroneous. Thats how we know. So, were talking about statements from number 10 at the moment. The number 10 statement which you again read out yourself yesterday said that at no stage was mr cummings, or his family, spoken to by the police about this matter. Now, the Durham Police have flatly denied that and put out a very clear statement yesterday evening saying needed to speak to his father. Who should the public believe . Ok, i think theres been some confusion about this. There certainly has. 0k, well, lets try and clear it up. For one thing, the father contacted the police, and secondly, it was about an unrelated matter, which i think quite rightly, i dont want to go into about security. So, its not the case that the Police Made Contact without any reason to discuss this specific matter. Why did number 10, therefore, say, and why did you say, that the police had not spoken to mr cummings or his family about this matter, when they had . No, they spoke to. About this matter . No, lets be. I can read you the police statement, if you like . You can. 0k, they said. 0n the 31st of march, our officers were made aware that Dominic Cummings had travelled from london to durham and was present at an address in the city. At the request of mr cummingss father, an officer made contact the following morning by telephone. During that conversation, mr cummingss father confirmed that his son had travelled with his family from london to the north east and was self isolating in part of that property. That is a conversation between the police and mr cummingss family about the situation. I think you havent read out the end of that statement as well. Ive read out all that ive got. I mean, yes, they did go and talk about security. They did, thats it. So, there are two things, arent there . One is that, a, it was mr cummingss father who contacted the police, not the other way round. And, b, the discussion was a discussion about a separate matter related to security. Which is the key thing. They also talked about this matter, and number 10 denied that. No, i mean, the point is that. Number 10s statements very clear. They said they didnt talk, and they did. If you read the original newspaper allegation to which they were responding, as i understand things, the newspaper allegation was that the police had made contact in order to raise this subject. A, the police were only. In fact, it was the father who made contact. And secondly, it was to discuss the security issue, which you didnt mention at the end of that statement. Well, the father is a member of the family, obviously. Can i ask, after all of this is there, in effect, a new cummings clause, which is that if you are worried about a child, you can decide where you go and self isolate in any part of the country . You can drive where you like and the government is comfortable with that . Well, i dont think theres been a specific thing which says you can only move a mile, or anything like that. The key points always been that people remained locked down, which is exactly as i understand it what happened in this case, in order to isolate and get beyond coronavirus. Im sorry, let me read you your own governments guidance on this subject, given on the 22nd march. It says, essential travel does not include visits to second homes or similar whether, and including, for isolation purposes. People must remain in their primary residence. Mr cummings did not do that. Although, as weve discussed, when he arrived there, at the place where he was going to get support, in the property adjacent to his parents, he didnt then move around. He remained there, in a place where they thought they could bring the best care to their child. And as the bit of guidance that you didnt read out makes clear, it asks people to make every effort. It acknowledges that. It says, keep following the advice to the best of your ability. However, we are aware that not all of these measures will be possible. The key thing is not to keep moving around. The transport minister grant shapps speaking earlier today. With me is tom harwood, he is a Senior Reporter from the right of Centre Website guido fawkes. Also, im joined by sienna rodgers, shes the editor of the labour list website which focuses on news about the labour party. Thank you forjoining us. Tom, we know what number 10 has been saying about this situation and what certain members of the cabinet have been saying. The fact that members of the backbench are beginning to voice doubts about whether or not mr cummings should stay in his post, does that give you cause for concern . I think if we look at the specif