• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Dominic Cummings’ days in Downing Street numbered, says Alan Johnson

The former Cabinet minister was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2019-10-13 13:34
in Politics
credit:PA

credit:PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Dominic Cummings’ days as senior adviser to Boris Johnson are numbered, according to a former member of Tony Blair’s Cabinet.

Alan Johnson said the public perceived the Vote Leave mastermind as the “puppet master” and that meant he would have to leave Downing Street as there can only be one leader in No 10 – the Prime Minister.

The former MP said: “I think his days are numbered precisely because the public perceive him as the puppet master. That’s bad for Government and that’s bad for Boris Johnson.

“No one else who has come in as a special adviser who has been played by Benedict Cumberbatch on the telly, so that kind of goes to your head.

“But no one else has come in as a special adviser to the Prime Minister who has been such an abject failure in his previous department.

“The reason Michael Gove was moved from Education by David Cameron was because he was at war with everyone in the education world.

“And why was he at war with everyone in the education world? It had a little bit to do with his special adviser and that was Dominic Cummings.

RelatedPosts

The best of Mick Lynch

‘Comic Sans’ trends as Lib Dems say it’s time to show Boris the door

Boris Johnson planned to build £150k treehouse in Chequers… paid for by Tory donor who had access to lucrative public contracts

‘We are not immune’: Tory MP celebrates US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn right to abortion

“He’s on his way out.”

Alan Johnson (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Alan Johnson (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Mr Johnson added: “Boris Johnson likes to be the star and as a long-term thing if you are Prime Minister you really don’t want anyone else being the most powerful person.”

The former postman, who served in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s Cabinets, was speaking at an event at the Cheltenham Literature Festival alongside Theresa May’s former director of communications Katie Perrior to discuss the role of special advisers in Government.

Ms Perrior said some of the briefing of journalists coming out of Government by “unnamed sources” was being attributed to Mr Cummings.

“Is Dominic Cummings speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister or is Dominic Cummings speaking on behalf of Dominic Cummings?,” she asked.

“That’s the concern.

“The power obviously lies with Dominic but someone like me would really be wanting to say, ‘Either this is the Prime Minister or someone close to the Prime Minister saying this but it is not you saying this because now you have your own voice’.

“Now we have created a monster, as it were, inside No 10 whether we like it or not who the media will go to if they are not getting anything out of the Prime Minister.

“We have another avenue and I think that can be quite dangerous.”

Mr Johnson and Ms Perrior said that the “aggression” exhibited by some previous special advisers who served both the Labour and the Conservative governments was not the best way to operate.

Ms Perrior famously quit Downing Street shortly before the 2017 general election and blamed a toxic atmosphere inside No 10 on Theresa May’s two joint chiefs of staff Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy.

“Deep down looking back it was the prime minister’s fault because she allowed that to happen and didn’t take control of the situation and when they went she just tried to find it in someone else,” she said.

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Sunset Song : Trailer

NFU: Removing tariffs could ‘spell the end’ for British family farms

BREAKING: Theresa May Calls Devastating Early Election Despite Fixed Term Parliament Act

Government only realised “in last few days” that its Coronavirus strategy would “likely result in hundreds of thousands of deaths”

Syrian Refugee Family Reveal How They Paid £45 To Smuggle Their Baby Over The Border In A Suitcase

Tory MPs deflated as £120m Brexit Festival to be called ‘Unboxed’ instead

Houses of Parliament to fall silent for Covid reflection day

Parliamentary Sketch 3rd February – Eastenders E8 the EU

“Predatory” police officer dismissed sending sex tapes, making lewd comments & groping women officers as “banter”

Hammond pressed to fix “broken labour market” as working Brits struggle to get by

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.