Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Boris Johnson to appoint Cummings ally as chief of staff, reports claim

Former tabloid journalist who worked on Vote Leave campaign tipped for post

Vincent Wood
Wednesday 11 November 2020 00:07 GMT
Comments
Mr Cain would be promoted to the role from director of communications - having previously served alongside Dominic Cummings in the Vote Leave campaign
Mr Cain would be promoted to the role from director of communications - having previously served alongside Dominic Cummings in the Vote Leave campaign (Reuters)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Boris Johnson is set to hand the role of his chief of staff to a former Vote Leave staffer, cementing the role of the Brexit campaigning group at the top of government - it has been reported.

Lee Cain, a former tabloid journalist who once dressed up in The Mirror’s infamous chicken suit to berate Tory politicians, is reported to be in an advanced stage of talks for the role, according to The Times.

Mr Cain would be promoted to the role from director of communications - having previously served alongside Dominic Cummings in the ultimately successful campaign to see Britain leave the EU.

His rise to the top would see him join Mr Cummings in the PM’s inner circles of most senior aides, alongside Lord Udny-Lister - who Mr Johnson worked with during his time as Mayor of London.

The move is reported to be part of a plan to limit the number of people with direct access to the prime minister, the paper added - and Mr Cain’s ascension would ensure Brexit backers make up much of the group dealing directly with Mr Johnson.

A Whitehall source cited by the Daily Mail said Mr Cummings did not want the title himself but “won’t serve under anyone who has it”, adding “He would be able to work with Lee, because he knows he is an ally, not a threat”.

Mr Cain has risen to the top of the backrooms of politics in less than half a year - leaving a career at tabloid newspapers including The Sun and The Mirror to work on the Vote Leave campaign.

Whether or not he was politically aligned with the movement has been disputed - with a former colleague telling PR Week he had also applied to oversee media operations with the remain campaign.

However since the leave-side’s victory in the referendum he has worked as a special adviser at Defra under Micheal Gove and Andrea Leadsom - and briefly served under Theresa May in Downing Street before moving to the foreign office while it was occupied by Mr Johnson.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in