UK’s Johnson picks new chief of staff to lead post-Cummings ‘reset’

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Dan Rosenfield, a business consultant and former treasury official, as his new chief of staff yesterday as he tries to restore trust in his leadership. Johnson is reshaping his senior team of advisers following the departure of Dominic Cummings earlier this month.

Cummings was seen as the driving force behind Johnson’s strategy on Brexit and most other policies, and his exit has been billed as a chance for a “reset” for the British leader.

Rosenfield joins from Hakluyt, a strategic advisory firm for businesses and investors, where he has been global head of corporate clients and head of the UK business since 2016, the government said. He previously worked at Bank of America as a managing director of investment banking, and spent over a decade working in the finance ministry where he served as a senior aide to former finance ministers Alistair Darling and George Osborne. Johnson has been heavily criticised for his response to the coronavirus crisis and a failure to communicate properly with elected members of his ruling Conservative Party, which has stirred rebellion over lockdown rules and Brexit policies.

The chief of staff is traditionally the most powerful political appointment in the prime minister’s office. Though exact responsibilities vary according the leaders’ preference, the job involves providing strategic and political advice to help the prime minister take decisions.

Rosenfield will begin work on December 7 and officially take up the chief of staff role on January 1, Downing Street said.