Brexit “military” Cummings gives up the UK to make concessions in the negotiations? | Cummings_Sina Finance_Sina.com

Original title: Cummings resignation “Military officer” of Brexit Will the UK make concessions in the negotiations?

　　Reporter | Sean

As the new crown epidemic and Brexit negotiations have entered a critical moment, the gap within the government has continued to widen, with many problems remaining for British Prime Minister Johnson in 2020.

On the night of November 12 local time, Johnson’s senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, announced that he would resign before the end of this year. According to images taken by the British “Guardian”, Cummings left 10 Downing Street with only a cardboard box shortly after announcing his resignation that night.

Cummings, 48, a graduate of Oxford University, is one of Johnson’s closest allies, is known as Johnson’s “brain” and one of the most controversial political figures in postwar Britain. Not only did he dominate the Brexit movement four years ago, he was also the hero behind Johnson’s victory as prime minister. His resignation is one of the most significant changes in the prime minister’s inner circle so far.

In 2016, Cummings started and led the “Vote Leave” campaign, proposing the slogan “Take Back Control.” In the late 2019 parliamentary elections, he formulated the campaign slogan “Fix Brexit”, which impressed many voters who were bored with the lengthy Brexit process.

In the eyes of the Remnants, he is an enemy; In the eyes of eurosceptics, he’s a hero. For Johnson, Cummings’ audacity in key decisions complements his step-by-step.。

But it was this relatively extreme behavior that allowed Cummings to make many enemies in government. Former Prime Minister Cameron once called Cummings an “occupational mental patient.”

In May of this year, Cummings drove from London to Durham in violation of the epidemic lockdown order and sparked severe criticism, but Johnson protected him and Cummings ultimately refused to resign.

Reuters reported that Cummings’ departure may be related to the chief of staff’s dispute. Cummings has been lobbying Johnson’s former communications director and leader of the Brexit movement to take over as chief of staff in order to maintain his control of the government. However, he was defeated by Johnson’s fiancee, Symonds. ) And several officials objected. In the end, Johnson appointed his top strategic advisor, Edward Lister, to act as temporary chief of staff, and Kane announced his resignation on the 11th.

Earlier, a senior government official revealed that Cummings and Kane were suspected of leaking the government’s blockade plan ahead of time. This can also be Johnson’s mecha and the “anti-target” of the two. But Cummings and Kane denied the leak allegations. Cummings is also said to often speak ill of Johnson and Symonds in briefings, making the two of them suspicious.

According to the “Guardian” report, although Cummings and Kane will remain until Christmas, Johnson asked them to leave 10 Downing Street on Friday. A source revealed that Cummings will be working from home for the next six weeks.

“Financial Times” commented that Cummings rose in the fight, but lost in the power struggle. A government official said Cummings created a “terrorist atmosphere” within the government, and his departure made Whitehall breathe with relief.

Cummings may have been willing to quit for a long time. According to British Sky News, he once revealed in a blog post in January that he expected to be left “unemployed” after Brexit was officially completed in late 2020.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Cummings decided to leave because the UK’s large-scale virus testing plan and Brexit are about to end. The UK will enter a new phase, but many people will miss it.

In addition to Cummings, there is also news that Brexit chief negotiator David Frost and his deputy Oliver Lewis have also resigned. So far, the Brexit team within the British government has been torn apart.

Some analysts believe that Cummings’ withdrawal indicates that the Johnson administration may soften its stance when negotiating with the European Union and tends to choose a more moderate route when establishing bilateral relations with the president-elect of the United States, Biden. Both Cummings and Kane advocated that the UK should not make concessions and leave the EU single market if necessary without a deal.

Former British Justice Minister David Gauke also believes that after Cummings leaves, Johnson’s governance may be more conventional. Gaoke was expelled from the Conservative Party in September last year due to his defection from Parliament to organize a no-deal Brexit.

The pound rose sharply on the 12th as Cummings’ departure raised the possibility of a deal between Britain and Europe.

But British government spokesman James Slack said Cummings’ resignation will not affect the British government’s position on international affairs.

At the same time, Biden, who had previously opposed Brexit, was elected president of the United States, putting Johnson under more pressure in the negotiations. In Johnson’s first phone call, Biden warned that the Anglo-European negotiations must not jeopardize the Northern Ireland peace process, otherwise it would also jeopardize the Anglo-American trade agreement.

There is still a lot of suspense in the Brexit negotiations. With only the final weeks before the end of the Brexit transition period, Cummings’ position in the Brexit negotiations is not necessarily stronger than that of Johnson’s team and other Conservative Party Brexitists. The Economist noted that Cummings hopes to increase the freedom of the British government through Brexit, eliminate the so-called bureaucracy and remove obstacles to the development of the United Kingdom.

Britain and the European Union resumed negotiations in London last week, but differences on issues such as fishing rights are still hard to bridge. According to the report, the UK is willing to accept the “Australian clause”, which means that, in the absence of a comprehensive trade agreement, it will follow the predetermined rules of the World Trade Organization to implement trade relations.

On the other hand, the House of Lords of the British Parliament voted overwhelmingly on the 9th to remove two controversial provisions from the Internal Market Act. The government spokesman later said that these provisions will be reinstated when the bill is returned to the House of Commons for review.

Critics claim that the team led by Cummings is better at eradicating opponents through political campaigns in a period of change, but does not know how to deal with daily government affairs, its weaknesses are certainly exposed in the epidemic.

So far, the number of deaths from new crown pneumonia in the UK has exceeded 50,000, and a total of 1,321,131 people have been diagnosed, ranking 7th in the world. England have opened a second round of total blocking.

A poll published by the YouGov polling agency earlier this week showed Johnson’s approval rating fell to 34%, 5 percentage points behind the opposition Labor Party. Bernard Jenkin, a senior conservative politician, said Cummings’ withdrawal will restore the “respect, honesty and trust” long lost between Downing Street and Parliament.

For the Johnson administration, the challenge has just begun. It is foreseeable that by January next year the epidemic and post-Brexit chaos will collide. How to cope with the rising unemployment rate, rationalize income redistribution and reduce social inequality are waiting for them.

Editor-in-charge: Chen Xiulong