By Keren Haynes, co-managing director, Shout! Communications.

Imagine you had arrived on earth from another planet, knowing nothing of what had gone before, and you saw the Dominic Cummings press conference last Sunday.

With no preconditions and never having heard allegations of his apparent arrogance,  the fact Cummings was 30 minutes late for his own party already sets the tone. This was not a humble or regretful person trying to ingratiate himself with his audience; this is someone who thinks he’s in the right and who is being forced to reluctantly justify himself to the masses.

Then assess the scene.

The UK’s top political journalists and their live audiences had been invited into that exclusive backdrop of the Prime Minister’s back garden. The rose garden, as it is more often called, is only ever associated with world leaders. Dominic Cummings is a civil servant, therefore the location – and its association with Boris Johnson and all the political household names who’ve made important statements from here – spoke volumes.  He has elevated himself to a position he doesn’t actually hold.

He didn’t rant, in fact his voice was low-key and steady, on the face of it a logical explanation of his reasons for traveling 265 miles to his parents’ estate in Durham. But the fact so many people don’t accept it was a reasonable course of action has created a personal crisis for Cummings, one he has so far failed to acknowledge, let alone contain.

Notable was Cummings’ use of accusation as form of defence. He claimed his house was under siege from the media, some of whom he said had published false allegations against him. This might have secured him sympathy in some quarters had he not, on recovering from his illness in Durham, immediately returned to London. This inconsistency further erodes his credibility.

His rose coloured view that his trip to the beauty spot Barnard Castle, on his wife’s birthday on Easter Sunday, with their child in the back seat,  to test his eye sight is just not credible.

Better to have acknowledged that this was an error – that after a tumultuous couple of weeks of family illness he had misjudged whether it was right to make the trip.

Ultimately, he needed to have said sorry.

Whilst he appeared open to scrutiny, by inviting journalists to quiz him after his statement, his rambling house was very repetitive. Repeating an implausible answer doesn’t make it any better and his uncomfortable body language undermined the content of his answers further, suggesting the stress Cummings must have been feeling.

As the first journalist, the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg, took to the microphone to ask questions Cummings looked more and more uncomfortable, moving his head and appearing to avert eye contact. This is a sure sign that an interviewee is feeling under pressure and, arguably, trying to hide something. His lack of eye contact with the journalists asking the questions made for particularly awkward viewing; it’s never a good idea to look away, at best it makes a person seem to lack confidence in what they’re saying, at worst it appears to be a cover up.

As a viewer I thought the press conference seemed very staged, suggesting this was someone who wants to be in control. He did not veer from his written statement and the order of journalists taking to the microphone for questions had already been arranged – even that seemed to have a pecking order. I suspect the questions had been submitted for his scrutiny in advance as it all seemed very scripted.

Much has been made of the senior advisor’s casual wardrobe of hoodies. For the rose garden appearance, he donned a white shirt. Personally, I think he would be dammed for improving his dress code and dammed if he didn’t but smartening up at least showed a modicum of respect for the occasion.

It can be hard to show regret and say sorry, but that was the big omission in the rose garden. Until he does – or he’s fired – this story is going to roll on and on.

From a personal crisis has been created a second, much more significant one for the government, in particular Boris Johnson. The sad fact is that Cummings has created an unnecessary and unwanted distraction from the serious and much worthier issues of our time.

Keren Haynes is a former BBC, ITN, and Sky News broadcast journalist. Now Co-Managing Director and media trainer at Shout! Communications.