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London – A top Boris Johnson aide has resigned after a power struggle within the prime minister’s office, in a move that threatens to destabilize the British government.
Lee Cain announced that he was retiring as Johnson’s communications director in a statement Wednesday night. His departure raised questions about the future of his close ally and friend Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s most powerful and controversial adviser. David Frost, Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator, and his deputy Oliver Lewis were also unhappy with the situation, according to a person familiar with the matter.
According to one version of events, Cain and Cummings pressured the prime minister to appoint Cain as chief of staff. But Johnson was unhappy that the possible appointment was made public in Wednesday’s newspapers before a final decision was reached, people familiar with the matter said.
On Wednesday night, Cain decided he had to leave and issued a resignation statement saying he had been offered the post of chief of staff, but without explaining why he had not accepted.
Cain’s departure comes at a particularly delicate time: England is in a partial lockdown and the UK surpassed 50,000 deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. Talks on a trade deal with the EU have yet to be resolved as the clock ticks until the end of the Brexit transition period in December.
Vote license
Both Cummings and Cain worked with Johnson on the 2016 Vote Leave referendum campaign, and Cain served as Johnson’s chief press aide in his role as foreign secretary.
Cain’s departure and speculation among officials that Cummings could continue runs the risk of disrupting Johnson’s preparations for the final stage of negotiations with Brussels. With the prime minister’s internal team of advisers backing Brexit now in some disarray, there may be implications for UK policy.
Cain has been by Johnson’s side for years and his influence on the prime minister, along with Cummings’, is often underestimated. Johnson thanked Cain, a former tabloid journalist, for his years of service, describing him as “a true ally and friend,” adding: “He will be greatly missed.”
As head of the government’s communications strategy, Cain has come under scrutiny during the coronavirus pandemic, and Johnson’s operation was sometimes criticized by members of his own Conservative Party for lacking clear messages and being pushed from crisis to crisis. other.
“There has been discontent over Operation Number 10 for some time,” Charles Walker, vice chairman of the influential 1922 committee of grassroots conservative lawmakers, told BBC radio. “We have heard too much from the advisers in the last 18 months,” he said. “MPst has felt excluded from the decision-making process.”
Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick insisted the government is not distracted by the riots in Johnson’s office. “The prime minister has a strong team around him and all of us, be it his advisers or the cabinet, are focused on the big task, which is to tackle the pandemic,” Jenrick told BBC radio.
Cain’s departure coincides with the appointment of a key new press secretary, Allegra Stratton, a former journalist who is to lead White House-style televised briefings for the government. Cain will remain in office until the end of 2020.
“It was an honor to be asked to serve as the prime minister’s chief of staff,” Cain said, following reports that Johnson had appointed him to the post. “It has been a privilege to work as an advisor to Johnson for the past three years, to be part of a team that helped him win the Conservative leadership contest, to secure the largest Conservative majority for three decades,” Cain said in a statement Wednesday. .
“Above all, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his loyalty and leadership. I have no doubt that under his leadership, the country will fulfill the promises made in the 2019 election campaign and will better rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic. “
The opposition Labor Party said Cain’s resignation shows that government officials are divided and not focused on the right priorities. “The Boris Johnson administration is fighting like rats in a sack over who gets what job,” Labor said in an emailed statement. “It is precisely this lack of focus and incompetence of rank that has held Britain back.”
Bloomberg
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