It’s immediately clear what orchestrated line the government have chosen to adopt: Cummings was doing what any parent would in that situation so his actions were justified:

And that’s where it becomes dangerous. Very dangerous. We’re nowhere near the end of this situation. We still need people to follow the rules or else more people will die. And the rules were absolutely clear:

Further post script: this example encapsulates the danger perfectly. The HEALTH Secretary stating that those “getting ill” are “entirely right” to leave their homes in circumstances they judge to be similar.

1) This is a lie: the No10 statement says Cummings wasn’t ill when he made the decision. 2) This derisory defence also make an absolute mockery of all your ‘stay at home’ instructions. 3) We’ve all wanted to be with our bloody families, many as their loved ones lay dying.

Cabinet ministers rushing to publicly support Cummings breaking the Govt’s own lockdown rules just about sums up their collective moral bankruptcy & fridge-hiding, accountability-avoiding cowardice. The public won’t stand for this shameful hypocrisy, whoever they vote for.

BREAKING: Attorney-General supports rule-breaking. 👇

Piers Morgan Please PLEASE keep your foot on the gas until the monster Cummings is gone. Without him Boris Johnson is finished , hopefully. The way other ministers are scrambling to protect him , they know this government is teetering on the edge and could fall

Well LGB "we" know how Sir Mark Spencer & Jacob Rees-Mogg handled it for a month. "Well, they are worse", is that your defense? I hope you're the accused's lawyer!

#jeremyvine I wouldn't take a single word that anti-vax dimwit says on any subject. Her not letting her kids have MMR vaccine takes away all credibility

Never mind with or without crowd noise #BTSport TNT Sports should offer options to have NO Steve Mcmanaman surely the worst commentator

Did Naga just say on #bbcbreakfast "...get your staff vaccinated...", like it's a choice, like the hospitality staff could just turn up and ask for it!

Are the #bbcbreakfast obliged to say Line of Duty is good? The acting and dialogue is at Acorn Antiques level. That was a brilliant, hilarious parody, obviously, while Line of... is meant to be serious!

. Hannah Fry I heard your fascinating bit on #bbc6music this morning. Would you mind sharing references to the studies you talked about? I'd love to read more on these, thanks

#Jeremyvine typical behaviour, two men with little knowledge on nuclear fission shut down the better informed woman

. #jeremyvine Big Labowski like Dumb and Dumber?! No Jeremy, seriously, watch it, like all Cohen Bros films, it's fabulous. Dumb and Dumber, just silly fun but, no.

Who is responsible for the mix on the TV coverage of #arcticmonkeys ? Turn the audience facing mikes down!! The band are lost!!

Sky Sports why do you insist on using #martintyler to commentate on #lfc games, he is so disgustingly biased and annoying bad!!

Anne Webb @secrettory12 There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?