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Boris Johnson was urged on Thursday to reshape his chaotic and factionalized operation in Downing Street after his communications chief resigned in a power struggle for access to the British prime minister.
Conservative MPs want Johnson to quickly restore order, end infighting and reconnect Downing Street with the parliamentary party, following the resignation of Lee Cain, one of the prime minister’s senior aides.
Cain resigned as communications director after the prime minister revoked an earlier offer to make him his chief of staff, prompting threats of resignation from other Brexit supporters at the heart of Johnson’s team.
Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s senior adviser and close friend of Cain, decided to stay after late-night talks with the prime minister Wednesday night, but Tory MPs hope his influence is waning.
David Frost, Britain’s top negotiator in the EU and another Cain ally, was also considering his position Wednesday night, but government sources revealed shortly before midnight that he had decided to remain in office.
Mr. Cain said in a resignation statement that “it was an honor to be asked to serve as the prime minister’s chief of staff.” Johnson’s apparent decision to rescind the offer could have far-reaching consequences.
Carrie Symonds, a partner at Johnson, was one of those who urged the prime minister not to appoint the former journalist to the job, arguing he urgently needed better advice.
Many Conservative ministers and parliamentarians celebrated Wednesday night what they saw as the breakdown of the Vote Leave cadre’s grip on Johnson.
They blame their advisers for a series of mistakes in handling the Covid crisis and lament the communication strategy overseen by Cain and Cummings. Relations between the deputies and number 10 are dire.
One minister said: “One less, one to go.” Another said: “This is great news. It will lead to better government. ”Many Conservative MPs blame Johnson’s advisers for the poor performance of the prime minister in recent months.
Critical moment
Charles Walker, vice chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, told the BBC on Thursday that there was “a real opportunity” for Johnson to appoint a chief of staff to rebuild relations with the parliamentary party.
Sir Charles said that Andrew Feldman, a former chairman of David Cameron’s Conservative Party, or David Canzini, a former Conservative agent who helped Johnson run his leadership campaign, would be good candidates.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick was sent to a press round Thursday to claim that the Downing Street dispute was primarily of interest to “political journalists” and that Johnson was focused on running the country.
Johnson’s break with Vote Leave officials comes at a critical time in the EU trade talks as he considers making concessions to try to secure a deal next week.
Oliver Lewis, the 10th head of Brexit policy, was also said to be “seriously considering” his position. EU trade negotiator Michel Barnier will hold talks with Frost’s team in London on Thursday.
Labor leader Keir Starmer said: “The day the UK became the first country in Europe to report 50,000 coronavirus deaths and the public endured another day of lockdown, Boris Johnson’s government is fighting like rats in a sack over who gets what job “.
Johnson thanked Cain for his “extraordinary service” in government over the past four years. “He has been a true ally and friend and I am delighted that he will continue to be the communications director until the new year and that he will help restructure the operation. We will miss him very much. “
Increase in tensions
Rumors were circulating in Westminster that the aide resigned due to an investigation into the leaked news of the decision to shut down England on October 30. While some Whitehall officials speculated that Mr. Cain may have been “partially” at fault in the story, he has “categorically denied” responsibility.
Cain’s departure followed a dramatic rise in tensions within Number 10 following the appointment of Allegra Stratton, a former journalist and adviser to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, to become Johnson’s spokesperson on the new daily televised briefings “a la the White House”.
A Whitehall official said: “Boris had to choose between Lee and Allegra. You have chosen Allegra. “
Cain, a former tabloid journalist who was a prominent figure in the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum, has taken an abrasive approach to the media.
Stratton has told colleagues that he wants a less confrontational style, an approach favored by many Tory MPs. She declined to comment.
A well-placed Whitehall official said Number 10 had become a “nest of vipers,” adding that “everything is collapsing there, it’s much worse than the outside world realizes. Also, doing it in the middle of a pandemic is totally embarrassing. “
Senior government figures said Ms Symonds, a former senior conservative adviser, had privately argued against the appointment. “You don’t see how your installation would improve things,” said an aide. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020
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