Boris Johnson's sister Rachel 'flouts lockdown to stay at second home'
The prime minister’s sister has been accused of breaking his lockdown rules just a week after allegations emerged against his chief adviser.
Rachel Johnson has allegedly been splitting her time between the family farm in Exmoor, in Somerset, and her Notting Hill property in London. Government lockdown rules have banned visits to second homes and switching between different households.
Ms Johnson had previously stated she was staying in the Somerset home with her husband and daughter but as an essential worker, she has been travelling to the capital to host her Friday evening LBC radio show.
Reports and images have emerged suggesting that the PM’s younger sister has been staying overnight at her west London residence, where her two sons are staying, and playing tennis with friends.
After her show on Friday, Ms Johnson returned to the Notting Hill home, according to the Mirror, before she met with friends to play tennis on Saturday and got a lift home with a man pictured in tennis gear. Reports said she took a train back to Somerset later that day.
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Images taken on Saturday show the man dropping Ms Johnson off at her property, while another shows her, also in tennis clothing, talking to a woman on the pavement with two dogs.
A Whitehall source told the paper, ‘it doesn’t look good for anyone,’ particularly following a week of criticism against her older brother over his defending of Dominic Cummings’ actions.
They are quoted as saying: ‘The story Boris is trying to avoid is of one rule for the elite and another for the rest. First his friend Dom and now his sister have been caught bending the rules, if not breaking them.’
A spokesman for Ms Johnson said: ‘In line with the majority of broadcasters she is afforded keyworker status. The show finishes at 7pm. As it’s a four-hour journey back, she sometimes stays over.
‘In line with the guidance, she makes a concerted effort to stay alert at all times.’
The allegations come after Ms Johnson said her brother’s top aide should apologise for taking a 260-mile trip to Durham, and a further 60-mile trip to Barnard Castle to ‘test his eyesight’.
Ms Johnson told ITV’s Good Morning Britain earlier this week that Mr Cummings’ behaviour has been seen ‘in some way hypocritical’.
‘You know, he’s been a rule-maker but not a rule-taker, and it’s essentially very problematic,’ she added.
‘I think that if I had been Cummings, I’d have admitted I’d messed up and I’d have got on the front foot and said, “I apologise for all of those who followed my messages, I took bad decisions at the time and I understand how angry it’s made a whole country feel, and please let’s move on because we have bigger fish to fry”.’
The prime minister reiterated earlier this week that he believed his chief aide acted ‘legally, responsibly and with integrity’ and urged the country to ‘move on’ from the episode.
Several MPs called for Mr Cummings’ resignation or for him to be fired, but the PM remained defiant in backing the former Vote Leave co-ordinator.
A petition to get him sacked has hit more than 1 million signatures.
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