Waiters grill ex No10 chief for three hours
DOMINIC Cummings spent three hours debating politics with restaurant staff after they said they did not want to serve him.
The former Downing Street aide is said to have entered into a lively back-andforth discussion with waiters at The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool, Ross-shire.
Restaurant owner Jock Urquhart took it upon himself to serve the Prime Minister’s former chief adviser when his staff were reluctant to do so. When he informed Mr Cummings of their feelings, he offered to speak to them.
According to the Inverness Courier, the strategist, who was on holiday with his family, returned to the restaurant the next day and engaged in a three-hour debate – with topics including Brexit, Covid and the Scottish referendum.
Mr Urquhart said neither side was won over but Mr Cummings returned again for a meal.
A statement posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page said: ‘Mr Cummings is a current “cause celebre” of the political debate in this country, and in some ways seen as “the villain of the piece”.
‘His public profile is such that a number of our younger members of staff recognised him, and asked senior management if he would be served. They were swiftly told that The Ceilidh Place would never refuse anyone service on the grounds of political belief as that would be the top of a very slippery slope.
‘They were told that if they didn’t want to have any interaction with him that would be their choice, but that this attitude was not representative of The Ceilidh Place’s position.
‘In the interests of transparency, and for everyone to be cognisant of the situation, senior management discreetly made Mr Cummings aware of the strength of feeling, but reassured him that he and his party would still be served in the manner any guest would expect.
‘Mr Cummings took this on board, said he understood that passions could run high, and then offered to speak to any members of staff that had an interest in discussing the issues.’
Mr Cummings was the mastermind behind Vote Leave and played a major role in the 2016 Brexit referendum. As Boris Johnson’s top aide, he was a key player in helping the Tories to win an 80seat majority in the 2019 election.
He gained notoriety after seeming to flout lockdown rules by visiting County Durham during lockdown in April last year.
Since leaving Downing Street in November, he has been a vocal critic of the Government.
On Monday evening Mr Cummings posted: ‘If visiting beautiful Ullapool strongly recommend the Ceilidh Place, great hotel (& v interesting political discussions with owner/staff on Brexit, independence...)’