Javid on Cummings
SAJID JAVID has been very generous towards his replacement Rishi Sunak, but had it not been for Dominic Cummings, he would still be chancellor.
Readers will recall it was Cummings who insisted that Javid could not appoint his own special advisers. He had not resigned when Cummings had kicked out Sonia Khan, one of his advisers, but this time he departed with a warning for prime minister Boris Johnson: “I felt I was left with no option but to resign. I believe it is important as leaders to have trusted teams that reflect the character and integrity that you would wish to be associated with.”
On Cummings’s travels in lockdown, our Saj made his feelings clear: “I do not believe Mr Cummings’s journey to County Durham to isolate on his family’s estate was necessary or justified. I remain unconvinced his visit to Barnard Castle could be considered reasonable.
“I was also deeply concerned by his decision to return to Downing Street directly after coming into contact with a family member who was ill, potentially with coronavirus.”
What Cummings did was, to my mind, not such a sin. It’s just that he has made a lot of enemies. Even Theresa May came out against Cummings last week.
Johnson has shown greater loyalty to Cummings than ever he did to Javid. That said, Cummings has damaged the government’s standing and that of the prime minister. Cummings remains in Downing Street but not necessarily for the long term.