There may be a pandemic on but that’s not going to stop Downing Street staff briefing against one another. Tensions came to a head this week after Boris Johnson’s director of communications, Lee Cain, announced his resignation. The row began after it was reported in the Times and Daily Mail that Cain – a former Vote Leave staffer and Daily Mirror chicken – had been offered the new Chief of Staff position in Downing Street. Opposition was raised – through the media – and he quit.
That move has sparked a wider discussion about the power struggle in 10 Downing Street. While Cain may be on the way out, the battle for power is far from over. So who are the main players? Here’s Mr S’s guide of the various Downing Street factions.
The Vote Leave lads
Members: Dominic Cummings, Lee Cain, Oliver Lews.
Up until now the most dominant force in Downing Street, this group is made up of individuals who worked for the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum in 2016. Chief among them is senior advisor Dominic Cummings. Both Cummings and Cain are trusted by the Prime Minister, with the latter working for him at the Foreign Office and during his time on the back benches. The group also claimed responsibility for a series of victories for the Prime Minister in getting a Brexit deal passed through Parliament and the 2019 Tory election routing.
The group have nicknames for one another from Caino to Sonic. Their primary aim has been to deliver Brexit by any means necessary. This has led to a number of episodes that have shocked traditional Tories from proroguing parliament to suspending Tory MPs for not backing Brexit to coming up with a plan to break international law. Their approach to the media which is dismissive of what they view as ‘bubble’ stories has also upset plenty of hacks.
Amassing enemies as they go this group are not done just yet – but they do face more opposition than before. Some of their critics view the delivery of a Brexit deal as an opportunity for Johnson to give them the slip. The question: will they go along with it?
City Hall slickers
Members: Eddie Lister, Munira Mirza, Andrew Gilligan
As London mayor, Boris Johnson devolved power to a series of trusted deputy mayors, who were left with responsibility over individual policy areas. It therefore made sense that when he became Prime Minister, Boris Johnson decided to bring back his City Hall colleagues into the fold.
The most senior of the City Hall hires was Eddie Lister, a former deputy mayor for planning, who was appointed as Boris Johnson’s chief strategic adviser, and was intended to work at the same level as Dominic Cummings. Lister though, who is 71 years old, is expected to leave Downing Street before the next election.
It can be hard to characterise the City Hall crew, who perhaps reflect Boris Johnson’s own eclectic views. Members include both Munira Mirza, a former revolutionary and Spiked columnist, and Sunday Times correspondent Andrew Gilligan. But the faction tend to be trusted by Boris Johnson, have a clear vision for policy, and are fiercely independent.
However, this group are regarded to be closer to the parliamentary party than the Vote Leave contingent. They are viewed by Tory MPs to be more congenial.
Carrie on crew
Members: Carrie Symonds, Allegra Stratton, Zac Goldsmith, Dilyn the dog
Is Carrie Symonds running No. 10? That’s a question that’s been heard asked in Westminster this week following multiple reports that she was a lead figure in blocking Cain’s appointment as Chief of Staff. She was reportedly joined in the crusade against Cain by new press secretary Allegra Stratton, whose appointment Symonds also allegedly played an instrumental role in. The pair, along with Mirza, were said to be concerned that only men would have the ear of the Prime Minister if Cain was appointed.
A former head of press for CCHQ, Symonds is a political figure who in another life might still be in government communications. It follows that she is said to have rather strong views about the whole thing. With friends of Symonds telling the Times they feared she would be ‘smeared’ as a Lady Macbeth figure for intervening in politics, Johnson’s partner could face both a political and public backlash if she looks to be an unelected unofficial key adviser.
Luckily for Symonds – who has the nickname ‘Flotus’ among some government aides – she has plenty of allies viewed to be on her wavelength. Those seen to be part of Symonds’s gang when it comes to government priorities include fellow eco-warrior Zac Goldsmith and Michael Gove and his team. She is also remarkably well-connected in Westminster and with the lobby.
If you see a lot of green policies and speeches then as a general rule take it as a sign that the Carrie on crew is getting their way.
The neighbours next door
Not technically in No. 10 but the Chancellor and his team rub shoulders with 10 Downing Street staff every day. So, where do they sit?
In an interview with Channel 5, Rishi Sunak was asked about the latest shenanigans – saying it wasn’t a matter for him before praising Cain:
‘Staffing matters are obviously a matter for the Prime Minister. On a personal level, I’ve worked with Lee for all the time I’ve had the job. He’s always given everything to the job and I very much have enjoyed working with him. I know that he will do very well what ever he chooses to go on and do and I wish him all the best in that’
Now to see which group the new Chief of Staff falls into…
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