Dominic Cummings, the controversial brains behind the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the EU, is to step down as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide, a government source said on Friday.
Cummings, a divisive figure who carved out a uniquely powerful role in government, on Thursday said that he expected to leave at the end of the year, following the final stage of Brexit.
However, he was seen leaving Johnson’s 10 Downing Street office on Friday carrying a cardboard box.
Photo: Bloomberg
The government source said that Cummings would officially be employed until the middle of next month, but news outlets including Sky News and the BBC reported that he would no longer be reporting for duty.
Downing Street has been mired in a power struggle that spilled into public view, even as Britain passed the grim milestone of 50,000 COVID-19 deaths with England in partial lockdown.
Cummings on Thursday reiterated comments made in a blog post in January that he would make himself “largely redundant” within a year.
“My position hasn’t changed since my January blog,” Cummings told the BBC.
Cummings departure then would have coincided with the end of the Brexit transition period, when Britain embarks on life outside of the EU rules and regulations on Jan. 1.
His premature departure led fellow Brexit champion Nigel Farage to write on Twitter that “seeing him leave Number 10 carrying a cardboard box tells me a Brexit sell-out is close,” as trade talks between Britain and the EU reach crunch time.
British Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps told Sky News that the Downing Street aide would “be missed.”
“In any government you require people who are going to shake things up and come along with ideas, he’s actually been that person,” he said.
Cummings, a dome-headed enigma with an unconventional dress sense and combative political approach, was appointed chief adviser by Johnson when he took power in July last year.
He helped to secure a thumping election victory in December last year, but his reportedly controlling style and frequent clashes with colleagues are said to have led to persistent tensions.
He courted damaging controversy earlier this year after making a cross-country journey during the COVID-19 lockdown which appeared to breach strict regulations he had helped to design.
Cummings, who had COVID-19 symptoms at the time while his wife had contracted the virus, claimed it was necessary to ensure he had childcare options for their young son.
One Tory veteran, Bernard Jenkin, said that Cummings’ exit would be a chance to restore “respect, integrity and trust” between MPs and Downing Street, which have been “lacking in recent months.”
The news comes just a day after the resignation of Downing Street director of communications Lee Cain, a close Cummings ally who also worked on the “Leave” side of the 2016 referendum.
Labour MP David Lammy said that the departures were “like rats fleeing a sinking ship.”
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