Boris Johnson's attempts to get Britain back on track after coronavirus threaten to be overshadowed by the continued fallout over Dominic Cummings' lockdown trip.
The Prime Minister chose to front the daily Downing Street Covid-19 briefing to publicly back Mr Cummings yesterday, saying he had "acted responsibly, legally and with integrity" by driving 260 miles to Co Durham to isolate and that "any parent would frankly understand what he did".
But Tory backbenchers tore into Mr Johnson over his handling of the row, while scientists claimed the defence of Mr Cummings' interpretation of the lockdown rules undermined efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus.