Today’s papers are filled with the numerous allegations levelled against Boris Johnson by Dominic Cummings during his seven hour appearance in front of MPs. The Prime Minister’s former top aide didn’t hold back in his critique, suggesting voters had been offered a poor choice at the 2019 election between Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn. Cummings said he believed Johnson was unfit to lead and had been too distracted by his personal life in the early stages of the pandemic when he should have been taking the virus more seriously. He concluded that government mistakes meant tens of thousands of people died ‘who didn’t need to die’.
Unsurprisingly, Cummings is persona non grata in No. 10 these days, with aides told to have no contact with their former colleague. But what Cummings had to say about various ministers still has the potential to unsettle government inter-relations. On top of the criticism of Johnson, Cummings found time to turn his ire on certain ministers while praising others. Unsurprisingly, it has stoked cabinet tensions.
Tory MPs point out that the minister who really came out unscathed was Cummings’s old boss Michael Gove
Matt Hancock was the minister subject to repeated attacks during the hearing. These ranged from claims he should have been fired for 15 to 20 reasons, to allegations he repeatedly misled colleagues over government action on care homes. In response, Hancock’s team has issued a statement defending the Health Secretary. Hancock is also due to front a government press conference later where he will have a chance to respond to questions from the press. He is under pressure to rebut serious allegations and matters could become even worse if documents emerge.
While Hancock was the most attacked, it’s not gone unnoticed that Rishi Sunak received the most praise of any current minister, despite being seen to be a cabinet hawk. This led to whispers that Cummings could be hoping the Chancellor makes it to No. 10, and wants to join him there – something Cummings denied in the hearing. While Sunak’s position on Covid restrictions is seen to be at odds with Cummings, there is a logic to much of Cummings’s praise of Sunak and criticism of Hancock. It relates to performance rather than strategy. In the early stages of the pandemic, Cummings and his Downing Street aides ultimately viewed the Chancellor as efficient on initiatives like the furlough scheme in a way they did not perceive Hancock and his team to be on PPE.
While Sunak’s praise stood out (and Dominic Raab also received the odd compliment), Tory MPs point out that the minister who really came out unscathed was Cummings’s old boss Michael Gove. Gove was only mentioned very briefly which seemed strange given how many of the key decisions he was involved in because of his Cabinet Office role. ‘It was a strange omission,’ says one. It comes after the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this week that some MPs are convinced Boris Johnson’s former adviser is plotting a comeback as part of a future Michael Gove premiership.
For his part, Cummings said he has no plans to return to Westminster – and believes few people would want him too anyway. It’s also the case that the mood in the parliamentary party has firmly turned against the former No. 10 aide. Many MPs are annoyed they ever defended him. If there is to be a Tory leadership contest in the next few years, candidates would be pressed on whether they had any plans to bring him back.
The more likely effect of all this is that it stokes cabinet tensions. Praise from Cummings is not particularly helpful for a minister trying to win over No. 10. On that metric, despite the obvious difficulties he faces, it’s Hancock who may currently have the most common ground with No. 10.
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