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Ian Cain.
Source: Frank Augstein
THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson lost his chief physician after a power struggle in Downing Street ended his resignation.
Lee Cain is stepping down from Downing Street communications director after other staff members rejected his appointment to the post of chief of staff.
These are some of the key points about the confusion in number 10.
What has happened?
Lee Cain is a former Vote Leave staff member and a close associate of the controversial Dr. Dominic Cummings.
He and Cummings campaigned against the Conservative leadership of Theresa May and joined the Johnson administration when he took office in July 2019.
Last night it was learned that he would leave the position of communications director of No. 10, although he will remain in office until the end of the year.
He had been offered a promotion to become the prime minister’s chief of staff, but a leak of that news sparked a backlash within conservative ranks, which allegedly included Johnson’s fiancée Carrie Symonds, effectively forcing Cain into leave.
Source: Chris Jackson via PA Images
The role of chief of staff would have put Cain in charge of the day-to-day operations in Downing Street and made him one of the few people with direct one-on-one access to the Prime Minister.
Disgusted by many in the Tory banks for his belligerent style and highly criticized communication strategy during the pandemic, he said yesterday that he would step down at the end of the year.
He said he had decided to resign after “careful consideration” while Johnson thanked him for his “extraordinary service.”
Lee Cain began his career in local news before entering the world of tabloid journalism, where he memorably dressed as a chicken to torment then-Conservative leader David Cameron while at the Daily Mirror.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson sitting with his communications director, Lee Cain, on his campaign bus, 2019.
Source: PA Images
Does this matter?
In Westminster there are always rumors of disagreements and fights and speculation about who is going up and who is going down.
But all of this is unfolding at a time when the UK is in the grip of the coronavirus, with the official death toll exceeding 50,000 and the true figure much higher.
The British public could reasonably expect that at this time of crisis those involved in the country’s government should be more focused on that than on internal disputes.
From an Irish perspective, the weakened position of the Vote Leave contingent within Number 10 could make it easier for Johnson to engage in post-Brexit trade negotiations, although he has repeatedly insisted that he is prepared to walk away without a deal.
Why is Lee Cain controversial?
Along with Dominic Cummings, Cain was one of the key players in the Vote Leave for Brexit campaign who were brought into government by the Prime Minister.
He fought a divisive battle with the press that culminated in a strike by senior lobbyists, the reporters covering Westminster, after journalists from some outlets were banned from a briefing on the UK-EU trade talks. .
The coronavirus crisis has also seen a series of communications missteps, with information affecting the lives of millions of people being selectively leaked or reported before being formally announced.
And Cummings?
Cummings was reportedly considering his position after Cain resigned, but it appears he will remain at No. 10.
It was also reported that the position of Lord Frost, the prime minister’s adviser for Europe, was uncertain, although he too appears to be staying, but the fact that there was speculation about it at a time when post-Brexit trade talks are in a critical point is another factor. alarming sign that all is not well in Downing Street.
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And other figures of the number 10?
Allegra Stratton.
Source: PA Images
One of the triggers for the confusion has been the appointment of Allegra Stratton to headline the televised press conferences that Number 10 is planning.
A former television journalist, Stratton became Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s chief communications officer in April.
But the prime minister quickly stole it to be the face of Downing Street at televised American-style press conferences. Cain reportedly opposed his appointment and took it as a blow to his authority.
Long-standing tensions at number 10 began to boil; It is believed that Stratton wanted direct access to the Prime Minister rather than inform Cain in order to do his job more effectively.
Carrie Symonds, Johnson’s fiancee and former Conservative Party communications director, is described as “an ally” of Stratton. It is reported that he has clashed with Cain in the past.
There is no set date yet for those briefings to begin, but Johnson hopes they will help improve the government’s public image.
James Slack, a former Daily Mail journalist who serves as the Prime Minister’s official spokesman and is a permanent member of the Civil Service, is expected to succeed Cain as communications director.
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