Davis a lazy bully who drinks too much, claims ex-top aide
DAVID DAVIS’S former chief of staff has accused him of being lazy, a bully and drinking too much and claimed he goes on holiday with the BBC presenter John Humphrys.
James Chapman, who worked for the Brexit Secretary after the EU referendum, claimed that Mr Davis had been “working [a] three-day week since day one”. He alleged that Mr Davis was “drunk, bullying and inappropriate” towards Diane Abbott during an incident in a Commons bar in which he reportedly tried to embrace the shadow home secretary.
He also claimed that Mr Davis “can’t even make plain ham sandwiches” and has a member of his private office bring him one every day. He also said his former boss takes six sugars in his tea, which is “stirred in by someone else”.
He claimed that it is “totally inappropriate” for Humphrys, the BBC Radio 4 presenter, to interview Mr Davis because they had been on holiday together, a claim denied by the BBC.
Mr Chapman also made claims about Mr Davis’s conduct in meetings with foreign leaders. He said Mr Davis had once told the prime minister of Slovakia: “If you think we are going to pay so you can sell us your cars, forget it.”
He accused Mr Davis of ignoring how existing trade deals with non-eu countries would turn out, saying: “They all fall away as DD would know if he ever bothered to read his box.”
Mr Chapman alleged that Mr Davis had accidentally called Michel Barnier, his EU counterpart, while trying to get through to a “far-right friend” and had Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, on speed dial.
Asked what he made of Mr Chapman’s recent suggestion that the Brexit department is “in chaos”, Mr Davis told LBC radio: “James, when he came to me was, I mean he was a Remainer, we knew that. But he did a good job, he was a good chief of staff, I’m not going to criticise him.”
Asked if he had Mr Farage on speed dial, Mr Davis replied: “Not on speed dial, I’ve got his number somewhere, All this stuff, this is the small change of politics.” The Brexit department declined to comment.