"I don't regret what I did," Dominic Cummings told reporters Monday after Downing Street took the extraordinary step of putting the special adviser in front of the media to respond to the saga.
Cummings was repeatedly urged to forgive the British people for traveling 260 miles across England and staying in a house on his parents' property at a time when the public was asked not to leave their homes.
But he said he thought making the trip was "the best thing to do" and blamed the media for creating "a very bad atmosphere" around his London home.
And he insisted that another trip he made to the town of Barnard Castle, several miles from his parents' house, was so that he could test his eyesight and make sure that 'He was healthy enough to then return to London - an explanation that was immediately questioned by opposition politicians.
Cummings' trip sparked a scandal in Britain that clouded Johnson's attempts to deal with his country's coronavirus epidemic.
The aide said he had not asked the Prime Minister for his decision to travel outside London beforehand. "In retrospect, I should have made this statement earlier," agreed Cummings. But when asked if he should have checked with Johnson before making his trip, Cummings replied, "I don't know ... maybe I should have."
Johnson at the time urged the British to "stay home" and asked them to isolate themselves if they had been exposed to symptoms. Lawmakers from all walks of life have said that Cummings' actions undermine these rules and suggest that Johnson is allowing his allies to act in ways that the public has no right to do.
But the Prime Minister stood by his ally, saying on Sunday that he had "no other choice" than to make the trip and insisted that he act "in a responsible, legal and honest manner" .
"I know that millions of people in this country have suffered, thousands have died, many are angry with what they have seen in the media about my actions," said Cummings at the start of a statement without precedent in the Rose Garden of Downing Street.
He then explained to the press the details of his two-week trip to Durham, but did little to appease critics who asked why he was allowed to interpret the rules as he intended when the audience did not have the same latitude.
"It's really painful to watch," twisted Labor Deputy Angela Rayner. "He clearly broke the rules, the Prime Minister did not act in the national interest. He should never have authorized this situation with a member of his staff."
"There cannot be one rule for Dominic Cummings and one for the British people," the opposition Labor Party said in a statement before its press conference.
"Sorry, that just doesn't fit. Are you so sick that you worry that your eyesight will be impaired and that you drive miles with your child in the car to check if you can continue driving? An obvious nonsense. Chris Bryant wrote on Twitter.
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