Michael Gove says he has ‘a deep reservoir of affection’ for Dominic Cummings

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Michael Gove has said he has "a deep reservoir of affection" for Dominic Cummings but dismissed the ex-aides criticism of the prime minister.

The communities secretary was speaking after Mr Cummings, a former No 10 chief of staff, claimed on Wednesday night that there were photos of Boris Johnson partying during lockdown.

Since departing No 10 Mr Cummings, who was a key figure in the Vote Leave Brexit campaign, has waged a guerrilla media war against Mr Johnson's administration.

Mr Gove, also a former campaigner for Vote Leave, was asked during a BBC Radio interview on Wednesday morning whether he and Mr Cummings had been undergoing a "painful divorce".

The cabinet minister replied: "I worked with Dominic at the Department for Education and enjoyed working with him and have a deep reservoir of affection for him.

"But I think that the criticisms that he's been making of the prime minister recently are wrong.

"And I think that it's entirely understandable that those who look at political dramas will want to follow the twists and turns of this.

"But I think my job is to concentrate on delivering the detail which we we've been discussing in the levelling-up white paper, and that is what I'm focused on."

Speaking during a question-and-answer session on Tuesday evening Mr Cummings had claimed that "there are photos of the PM at parties under investigation".

He added: "I’ve spoken to people who say they’ve seen photos of parties in the flat."

The exiled aide added: “He’ll keep lying. This could blow up terminally for him if [he] lies to the cops but he won’t be able to help himself other than say ‘I don’t remember’ which is his default when he senses danger.”

Mr Cummings first revealed the lockdown-busting No 10 garden party, in May 2020, that is still the biggest threat to the prime minister’s survival.