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UK's Gove defends PM's adviser Cummings: he's a man of honour and integrity

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove arrives at a cabiet meeting.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings acted reasonably by travelling to northern England during the coronavirus lockdown and is a man of integrity, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday.

Gove, a long-term ally of Cummings, said he did not break the letter of the government's coronavirus lockdown guidelines and was simply trying to look after his wife and 4-year-old son.

"Dominic completely understands the sense of concern people have felt as this story broke," Gove told the BBC. "Most people will understand that he was under pressure and sought to put the health of his wife and son first."

"He is a man of honour and integrity," Gove said of Cummings.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Kate Holton)