What does Boris Johnson’s chief of staff do and who are the favorites?



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Henry Newman is well known in Westminster, having spent most of his career working for Michael Gove as a special counsel. Newman took a break from his government career to head the Open Europe think tank, but now works in the Cabinet Office under the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. As a close Gove ally, Newman could naturally fit in with a eurosceptic Downing Street.

On Friday night, the field was expanded, with Kit Malthouse, a Home Office minister who worked with Johnson at City Hall, reportedly presented his name to MPs for the position. Others said Will walden, Johnson’s former chief of public relations at City Hall, could be contacted, as well as True lord.

What does the chief of staff do?

The chief of staff is a political appointment, and the incumbent works closely with the Prime Minister on policy formulation and government communications.

The Downing Street chief of staff position was created when Tony Blair took office in 1997, and was first held by Jonathan Powell, the only official to serve Blair’s entire term. Perhaps the best-known incumbents are Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill from Theresa May’s time in office.

The couple are said to have had a fearsome reputation among Downing Street staff for their desire to control everything that went on in the building.



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