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Boris Johnson has once again defended the position of his chief aide today, as he stepped in to helm the Government’s daily press conference in a vital test of his accountability. The embattled chief aide of the Prime Minister is facing increasing calls to resign his post after claims emerged he travelled more than 250 miles to his home town of Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.

How old are Dominic Cummings’ children?

Dominic Cummings is married to Mary Wakefield, a British journalist and longtime writer for The Spectator.

The couple married in December 2011 and had their first child in 2016.

Their only child is four-year-old Alexander Cedd, and the care of their son has played a central role in the current controversy.

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When it emerged on Friday Dominic Cummings had travelled 264 miles to his home town of Durham on March 31, officials insisted he did so to care for his son.

His wife had developed symptoms of COVID-19, and the couple elected to drive to his parent’s home with the intention to receive childcare, as Mr Cummings was anticipating being “incapacitated”.

Several prominent cabinet ministers leapt to his defence on Saturday, amongst them Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the Attorney General.

In a seemingly coordinated approach, they, alongside several other senior Tories, suggested his decision to break clearly defined lockdown rules was correct given the circumstances.

In a tweet, Mr Hancock said it was “entirely right” to travel across the country with his symptomatic spouse.

He wrote: “I know how ill coronavirus makes you.

“It was entirely right for Dom Cummings to find childcare for his toddler, when both he and his wife were getting ill.”

Officials said while he was staying with his parents, he was self-isolating in an outhouse on their property.

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However, while the Government sought solace in the fact his travel was “essential” and he didn’t leave the property, secondary claims emerged which pinned the aide outside the address.

Bystanders told a joint investigative team from The Guardian and the Daily Mirror they saw him at Barnard Castle, a market town 30 miles away, on April 12.

The alleged venture would have taken place after the required self-isolation period, but was still a blatant flout of lockdown procedures while the country was approaching peak coronavirus infections.

Further claims emerged from the same team late on Saturday, when witnesses said they saw him looking at bluebells in the woods near Houghall, close to his parents’ home, with his family.

Mr Cummings has since denied he made the additional trips, and was photographed once more in London a day later.

Several critics of Mr Cummings have since emerged from the woodwork across the political spectrum.

Amongst them were several prominent Conservatives, including Peter Bone, Sir Roger Gale and Steve Baker.

Mr Bone said the “vast, vast majority” of Tory MPs believe the chief aide should go, and insiders have revealed there is growing disquiet in the cabinet.

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