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The British media are rubbing their hands in satisfaction after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s most influential adviser and a thorn in the side of many: Dominic Cummings confirmed rumors that he will vacate his government post at the end of the year.
He told the BBC that after the New Year, when Britain’s informal membership in the EU ends, its additional cabinet presence becomes unnecessary. This confirmed the rumors circulating in the British media for a whole week that the time of the “architect of Brexit” at 10 Downing Street is coming to an end.
The media quoted a cabinet source as saying that Cummings would leave the government before Christmas. However, according to another source, if you don’t decide to go alone, the door will be shown to you anyway.
Amid continuing uncertainty over negotiations with the European Union for a new trade deal, Cummings’ withdrawal is a sign of a major shift in government policy.
Cummings’ departure from the cabinet is also considered the most significant change in the prime minister’s inner circle, especially given that some call Cummings the “brain” of Boris Johnson (to emphasize his enormous influence on the country’s politics at this time) . ).
It could also be a factor in reducing the burden of Brexit hardliners on government and facilitating the prime minister’s attempts to strike a deal with Brussels.
Britain officially left the EU on January 31, but under transitional arrangements it remained part of the single market and customs union for a year, and now has to negotiate difficult trade relations in the future.
Attempts to strike a new trade deal with the EU have so far stalled and the time for the formal cessation of current trade relations between London and Brussels is fast running out.
Many European diplomats suspect that he is at the root of this lack of consensus. According to some, this is due to Cummings’ political philosophy of the madman theory.
The theory follows the political behavior of US President Richard Nixon during the Cold War, in an aggressive and unpredictable way. The idea in this case is that the leaders of the USSR would be afraid to provoke the United States, because they do not know what reaction they can expect in response.
This same stance of confrontation and disregard for the established rules applies in his own relations with politicians and the media, who are now so happy with the idea of seeing his back.
This is one of the many reasons Conservative MPs are pushing for cabinet changes as soon as Brexit is resolved.
Even his biggest critics admit that Cummings is extremely adept at winning elections. But when it comes to running a country, his confrontational style begins to weigh: Campaigns must win elections and governments must lead and convince everyone around them that specific policies are best.
And the accusations against Boris Johnson and his cabinet are precisely that he is not dealing with many of the current problems, including the coronavirus crisis.
According to a source close to the cabinet minister, quoted by The Guardian, “the problem with Downing Street is that they have remained in campaign mode since they won the elections.”
“They are at war with everyone in parliament and it is up to the Cummings. They just don’t know how to govern. In eleven months they should lead a united front, but they are still working on the image of Vote Leave,” added the source.
Plus, Boris Johnson’s advisor knows how to turn the public’s attention against himself.
Proof of this was the scandal with his travels during the first quarantine in Britain, when it became clear that during the ban on leaving home for no reason, he and his wife (who at the time had coronavirus) traveled 260 miles from London. to Durham to leave his son with his parents. Cummings was reported to have traveled at least one more time during the quarantine.
Boris Johnson stood behind and supported him, but public opinion was strongly opposed to the adviser to the prime minister and thus the prime minister himself.
The BBC has not yet ruled out Dominic Cummings. According to the media, since the summer there have been talks and strategies to reorganize some of the top positions in the government, and a new position for the senior advisor may be sought.
However, such a scenario is not entirely safe, especially since Cummings, who is not a member of the ruling party, has strained relations with most of its members.
Some experts even believe that with Cummings’ withdrawal from the board, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have a chance to rally the Conservative Party around him, something he will definitely need if he wants to rule the country after Brexit. .
