THE Prime Minister's chief advisor Dominic Cummings has defended his actions after admitting he drove 260-miles from London to the North-East during lockdown. 

Mr Cummings addressed the media at a press conference at Downing Street on Monday afternoon, after coming under pressure from MPs to resign. 

He gave a detailed account of his journey to his family's farm in County Durham, in March, after his wife had developed symptoms of Covid-19. 

Mr Cummings said the couple wanted to be close to relatives, in case they both fell ill and were unable to look after their four-year-old son.

He added that they stayed in a separate cottage on the estate, some 50-metres away from other family members. Mr Cummings said he awoke the next morning with symptoms of the virus. 

"I do not regret what I did," he said. "What I did was legal and reasonable in the circumstances.

"I understand people are angry. I hope they will understand it was a tricky situation."

He said that much of the anger had been based on "incorrect" reports in the national media, and that he had not considered resigining. 

Mr Cummings acknowledged that many people had made their own sacrifices during the lockdown period. 

Journalists at press conference challenged Boris Johnson's chief advisor for making the journey while the government's key message was for people to stay at home. 

Mr Cummings denied a claim that he had "driven a coach and horses" through the government's own advice to the public. 

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