Mr Cummings says that stories in the media had suggested he opposed lockdown - but he says he had "argued for it".

He says stories in the media had "created a very bad atmosphere around my home" - making it a "target - and that he worried about "the possibility of leaving my wife and child at home all day ... while I worked at No 10".

He adds that driving to the "isolated cottage" in County Durham - which he says does not have neighbours in the "normal sense - was the "best thing to do".

Cummings said on 11 April "some people saw us from a distance", but the couple had not left the land of the property.

By that date, he said he was "hoping to return to work the following week, and sought medical advice.

He and his wife then spoke and "agreed we should go for a short drive" to see if he could manage it.

Cummings says the pair "ended up on outskirts of Barnard Castle" but denies they "walked around the town".

Image source, bbc

Mr Cummings confirms he did not consult the prime minister before travelling to County Durham.

"I did not ask the prime minister about the decision, he was ill himself and he had huge problems to deal with," he says.

"I thought that I would speak to him when the situation clarified in the coming days," he adds - regarding his own symptoms and whether or not he could get tested.

He adds that "arguably this was a mistake" and that he understands some may say he should have spoken to the PM.

Cummings explains the chronology of events beginning on 26 March and how a day later he was at 10 Downing Street when his wife told him she had symptoms.

He says he returned home, being filmed "running to the car" after a phone call from his wife.

"She told me she suddenly felt badly ill and she had vomited and felt like she might pass out," he says.

After a couple of hours, his wife felt better and he returned to work.

But on returning home, he "discussed the situation with my wife" and concluded, due to the PM and numerous people in No 10 contracting the coronavirus, there was a "distinct probability I had already caught the disease".

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Peter Duncan, a former Conservative MP who now works in PR, tells BBC Radio Scotland: "I find the choreography (of the Rose Garden statement) extraordinary. The only justification I can think of is that he's going to fall on his sword but that seems so unlikely. As a PR guy, I just can't see an approach that doesn't lead to a complete monstering from the media."

But Melanie McDonagh, a journalist who contributes to The Spectator, tells listeners to remember the 'stay at home, save lives' message believed to have been coined by Cummings was "a slogan, not the law" and thinks the prime minister's aide can tough it out.

The UK PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings has just started speaking.

This statement follows allegations that he broke lockdown rules by travelling 260 miles with his family to be near relatives when his wife developed coronavirus symptoms.

PM Boris Johnson has attempted to draw a line under the row - but MPs have continued to call for Mr Cummings' dismissal.

Mr Cummings says: "I know that millions of people have been suffering and thousands have died.

"In retrospect, I should have made this statement earlier."

Image source, bbc

As we wait for the delayed statement from Dominic Cummings, let's reflect on the first minister's comments at the Scottish government briefing.

Nicola Sturgeon said the prime minister should reflect on his decision to back his chief adviser and "come to a different conclusion".

Mr Cummings is accused of breaking lockdown laws by travelling from London to Durham with his family while they were self-isolating.

Boris Johnson gave his full backing to Mr Cummings on Sunday.

Image source, EPA

Urging him to reconsider, Nicola Sturgeon said political interest risked taking priority over public interest.

"In a situation like this it is so important that trust in the public health advice is maintained," Ms Sturgeon said at her daily Covid-19 briefing.

In a reference to Mr Cummings' journey, the first minister said she knew people would be feeling "angry and frustrated" at the stories they had heard over the weekend and were perhaps questioning the validity of the lockdown.

"I understand that but I want to stress that as far as I'm concerned the restrictions and rules that we put in place really matter," she said.

"The reason we ask you to stick to these rules is because they help to protect you and your loved ones."

Image source, KATHRYN DE PRUDHOE

Boris Johnson said his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, "followed the instincts of every father and every parent" when he drove his wife and child to Country Durham during lockdown, rather than isolating at his London home.

But there has been anger from members of the public who did not travel to be closer to their families amidst the crisis.

Kathryn de Prudhoe, from Leeds, said both her and her husband had coronavirus in the first two weeks of lockdown.

But despite having to take care of their two children - aged five and eight-years-old - and her step-father falling ill, they stayed at home and "followed the guidelines".

Meanwhile a man who was unable to see his wife when she died with Covid-19 has expressed his anger over the handling of Dominic Cummings’s alleged lockdown breach in a letter to his MP.

John Wilson, from Buckinghamshire, said the lockdown prevented him from seeing his wife two weeks before her death on 29 March.

Read more here.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Dominic Cummings is about to make a public statement on allegations that he broke the lockdown rules he helped to create. The PM's chief advisor is facing calls to resign.

Nicola Sturgeon has called on Boris Johnson to reflect on his decision to back his chief adviser and "come to a different conclusion".

Mr Cummings has so far denied any wrongdoing - Drivetime will cross live to the briefing as soon as it happens.

Listen via this live page or on BBC Radio Scotland for his statement and reaction. Or you can watch the BBC News Channel with us here.

• Check out the story here
• Latest developments on Cummings statement
• What did Dominic Cummings do during lockdown?
• Kuenssberg: PM's attempt to close down Cummings story failed
• The families who stayed away in lockdown

Image source, PA Media

Scotland must avoid scenes of overcrowding on public transport as lockdown restrictions are gradually lifted, says Scottish Labour’s transport spokesman Colin Smyth.

A "transport transition" plan is due to be published by the government on Tuesday, with capacity likely to be heavily restricted on buses and trains.

“Passenger numbers are already beginning to rise, and that will accelerate as the lockdown is eased from this week," said Mr Smyth. "We cannot have a repeat of the scenes we saw in England with overcrowding, as people went back to work."

He is calling for a "definitive position on face coverings" and suggests masks should be made available free to passengers.

The prime minister should reflect on his decision to back his chief adviser and "come to a different conclusion", the first minister has said.

Dominic Cummings is accused of breaking lockdown laws by travelling from London to Durham with his family while they were self-isolating.

He'll give a statement at 16:00 BST from the Rose Garden at 10 Downing Street.

Boris Johnson gave his full backing to Mr Cummings on Sunday.

Urging him to reconsider, Nicola Sturgeon said political interest risked taking priority over public interest.

"In a situation like this it is so important that trust in the public health advice is maintained," Ms Sturgeon said at her daily Covid-19 briefing.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK prime minister's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, is set to give a statement and take questions from the press shortly amid a flurry of calls for him to resign.

He has faced criticism for driving 260 miles from London to County Durham to be closer to family during lockdown while his wife was showing symptoms of coronavirus.

Newspapers have also claimed he broke isolation to make a 30-mile trip while in the county, and that he returned to the area after coming back to London.

Boris Johnson has stood by his top aide, but critics from across the political spectrum - including his own party - say the government's lockdown message has been undermined and Mr Cummings should resign.

We will bring you all the updates from his statement on this page, and you can read more on the controversy here.