The best of Boris is being stifled by his Vote Leave managers
On day one as mayor of London, Boris Johnson had a clear sense of what he was good at and what he wasn’t. Over breakfast with Michael Bloomberg it was obvious he could not compete with the smart, managerial competence projected in spades by the visiting mayor of New York, nor with his gift of a crystal “Big Apple” from Tiffany. Boris produced an unwrapped T-shirt of the London tube map to hand to his guest. Yet, on vision and charisma, he was in a different league.
The tragedy for those who haven’t quite given up on Boris Johnson is that we’ve rarely seen him play to his strengths under his leftover Vote Leave management. A Prime Minister’s senior advisers should be more like sports coaches than obedient executives. Yes, the PM is the leader
– of course – but he’s also the talent. And the talent in any field needs protecting, nurturing and coaching to ensure they play to their strengths.
Instead, a man who loves to please has been relentlessly causing offence; a natural conciliator has been repeatedly confrontational; an effusive and confident communicator has been buttoned up; and his broad church has been narrowed to a sect.
It’s no surprise that the alumni of City Hall have been the stars of this government – beavering away behind the scenes trying to fix things whilst the “mad or mediocre” (as one of them described veterans of the Leave campaign) have been messing things up. Top aides matter because they give a government a voice, tone and attitude – as well as (ideally) some strategic direction. And a prime minister who fails to disown their behaviour ends up owning it. When Dominic Cummings staggered around Westminster insulting elder statesmen and summarily sacking a loyal spad, he sparked early resentment of the PM.
And when Lee Cain decided to shun the BBC and split the lobby, he, too, damaged his boss. The latter’s departure is an opportunity to reset the government and re-establish Boris Johnson as the politician he was at his most popular and effective.
There may still be a role for Mr Cummings, but he should not manage staff, and other senior aides should be counterweights, not groupies. In particular, Johnson needs a chief of staff who opens the door rather than slams it shut, and who courts the parliamentary party rather than shuns it.
Communication during the Covid crisis has been a masterclass in incompetence mitigated only by residual belief that the PM is trying his best and the key ministers are able, hard-working and determined to get us through. Why on earth was the press conference to announce the current lockdown in England delayed by more than three hours?
Was it arrogance or contempt for the audience? Or, even more worrying, was it a sign that an administration poised to finally exit the EU and deliver a mass vaccination programme can’t even manage a simple press conference? Neither answer is good and the PM, the party, Parliament and the country deserve better.