Ministers ‘tell Boris Johnson he must “rein in” top aide Dominic Cummings’ because ‘half the Cabinet’ cannot work with him as special advisers ‘seek counselling for stress’
- Ministers tell Boris Johnson he needs to ‘rein in’ his top aide Dominic Cummings
- ‘Half the Cabinet’ reportedly feel unable to work with the PM’s chief adviser
- Special advisers have apparently sought counselling for work-related stress
Ministers have warned Boris Johnson he must ‘rein in’ top aide Dominic Cummings because ‘half the Cabinet’ feel unable to work with him.
Government figures reportedly believe the current way in which Number 10 is operating is ‘unsustainable’ and ‘untenable’ with Mr Cummings’ role a key concern.
Meanwhile, some special advisers have apparently sought counselling because of work-related stress while others unhappy with the current set up are planning to leave the government.
The claims come after Mr Cummings was involved in a series of high profile rows in recent weeks.
Dominic Cummings, pictured leaving his London home yesterday, has been at the centre of a number of government controversies in recent weeks
Boris Johnson is now under pressure from ministers to ‘rein in’ his top aide. The PM is pictured in Downing Street on February 12
He is facing mounting pressure over the hiring of controversial ex-adviser Andrew Sabisky who is believed to have been brought into Number 10 as part of Mr Cummings’ call for ‘misfits and weirdos’ to join the government.
Mr Sabisky resigned on Monday amid a furious backlash over previous comments he made about race, women and benefits.
Mr Cummings hit the headlines last week following Mr Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle as Sajid Javid resigned as chancellor after refusing to bow to the aide’s demands for him to sack all of his advisers.
He also sparked controversy after he reportedly told a meeting of special advisers ahead of the reshuffle he would ‘see half of you next week’.
A senior minister told Buzzfeed that Mr Johnson needed to ‘rein in’ Mr Cummings.
The minister said ‘half the cabinet’ feel they cannot work with the adviser and some are openly speculating about when he could quit Number 10.
Buzzfeed also reported that some special advisers who are afraid of losing their jobs have been emailing Number 10 to report any perceived disloyalty from colleagues or ministers.
The claims came after former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke predicted Mr Cummings will not last long as the PM’s top adviser unless he ‘vanishes’ and returns to being a ‘back room’ operator.
Mr Clarke suggested the ‘exotic aide’ will only survive in the job if his ‘personal appearances stop’.
The veteran former Cabinet minister said it was always an ‘absolute disaster if the chief adviser became the story in the newspapers’.
Mr Clarke told ITV’s Acting PM podcast: ‘Boris may not be interested in the detail of policy but he’s not an idiot he’s a very bright man and the Cummings thing can only last if Mr Cummings’ personal appearances stop and he vanishes and he goes back to being the back room apparatchik which he, of course, you need and what he’s supposed to be doing.’
He added: ‘It’s always been regarded as an absolute disaster if the chief adviser became the story in the newspapers.’
Mr Clarke was stripped of the Tory whip last year after rebelling against the government over Brexit. He stepped down as an MP at the general election.