Dominic Cummings ‘set to resign’ by end of the year
Boris Johnson’s top advisor Dominic Cummings is expected to resign from his role in Downing Street by the end of the year.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News this morning: “As he [Cummings] wrote right at the beginning of the year in his own words, he planned to make himself largely redundant this year with the big thing that he’d worked on, of course, which was Brexit coming to an end at the end of the transition period which is 31 December,”
Speculation has been mounting over a major rift in Number 10 this week following the departure of Lee Cain — director of communications and a close ally of Cummings.
Cummings told the BBC that “rumours of me threatening to resign are invented”.
But he said his “position hasn’t changed since my January blog”, in which he wrote he wanted to be “largely redundant” within a year.
A senior Downing Street source added that the top aide would be out of Downing Street by Christmas, according to the report.
The mooted departure highlights ongoing tensions within Downing Street as the government wrestles over its communication strategy during the pandemic.
Cain and Cummings were among a core group of advisers who helped Johnson drive his Brexit agenda, spearheading his “get Brexit done” and “take back control” messaging.
But tensions began to grow amid reports the prime minister was considering promoting Cain to his chief of staff.
The move reportedly sparked anger among some MPs and other government insiders, as well as Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds.
The departure of the two senior advisers will mark a major shake-up of the government’s communications strategy.
Cummings, who ran the pro-Brexit Leave campaign during the EU referendum, has proved a controversial figure.
The adviser was derided after he called for “weirdos and misfits” to apply for roles in No 10 and was mired in controversy over the summer when he broke lockdown rules to make a non-essential trip to Barnard Castle in the north of England.