Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

From ministers to celebrities, the UK’s alleged Covid rule-breakers

From ministers to celebrities, the UK’s alleged Covid rule-breakers

Those said to have flouted regulations also include MPs, scientists … and Dominic Cummings

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has admitted breaking social distancing rules after pictures emerged of him embracing an aide last month. It is not the first time people in the public eye, from celebrities to ministers, have been caught flouting official guidelines, and many were forced to resign. Here are some of the most high-profile cases.

Dominic Cummings, PM’s former chief aide


Cummings caused outrage at the height of the first lockdown in March 2020, when the Guardian and Daily Mirror revealed that he had travelled from London to Durham while suffering suspected Covid symptoms. Despite immense pressure, including from Conservative MPs, Boris Johnson refused to sack him. He resigned late last year after a No 10 power struggle.

Margaret Ferrier, former SNP MP


Ferrier, the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, travelled from Scotland to London in September after showing coronavirus symptoms, then back again after getting a positive test result – a journey of 400 miles. She had the SNP whip removed and apologised, but remains an independent MP. She was charged with culpable and reckless conduct in February. She has said the virus made her “act out of character” and that she panicked.

Prof Neil Ferguson, scientist


The Imperial College London epidemiologist, who was an adviser to the government on the pandemic, was revealed by the Telegraph to have been visited at home by his lover on at least two occasions in March and April 2020. He resigned from his position on 6 May admitting an error of judgement. Hancock said at the time that he was speechless at Ferguson’s behaviour.


Rita Ora, singer


Ora was criticised for breaking lockdown rules to throw a 30th birthday party attended by 17 people. Her security team allegedly offered a London restaurant owner £5,000 to host the party in November and switch off the CCTV cameras. The singer apologised. It later emerged that she should have been self-isolating at the time after returning from Egypt.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland’s chief medical officer


Calderwood was forced to quit her role after she was found to have twice visited her second home on the coast of Fife. The then leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Jackson Carlaw, said her stepping down had been the right course of action. “There cannot be one rule for the bosses and another one for everyone else,” he said.

Robert Jenrick, housing secretary


Jenrick visited his parents’ home in Shropshire, 40 miles from his home in Herefordshire, in April 2020. He said he dropped off food and medication and did not enter the house. His behaviour was cleared by the prime minister, whose spokesman said: “We’re confident that he complied with the social distancing rules.” There was some criticism of Jenrick from backbench Tory MPs, who anonymously called for his resignation.

Bob Seely, Conservative MP


The Isle of Wight MP appeared to break lockdown rules at a barbecue also attended by the chairman of the Brexit party and political journalists. Seely went to the gathering hosted by the Spectator magazine’s deputy editor, Freddy Gray, in the village of Seaview in May 2020. He said he was unaware others would be present when he arrived for a meeting and followed social distancing guidance at all times.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×