PM hires top strategist to ‘change the narrative’ around No10 culture

David Canzini named deputy chief of staff as Johnson looks to rally his backbenchers

BORIS JOHNSON is bolstering his Downing Street team with the appointment of an ally of Sir Lynton Crosby, the Tory campaign guru, as deputy chief of staff. David Canzini, a strategist at CT Group, Sir Lynton’s firm, is due to start work tomorrow, after months of discussions with Mr Johnson about joining.

The move comes after this newspaper revealed last month that Sir Lynton and Mr Canzini were waiting to see the extent of Mr Johnson’s “reset” before accepting any offer. The pair saw little gain in helping unless the Prime Minister parted ways with other aides who have clashed with MPs and ministers.

In recent weeks, it has emerged that Henry Newman and Henry Cook, both senior Downing Street advisers, were leaving No10. Mr Newman is returning to work for Michael Gove at the Department for Levelling Up.

Yesterday, David Jones, deputy chairman of the European Research Group of Tory MPs, said: “David Canzini is one of the shrewdest political operators in the UK. We had all been pressing for a root-and-branch review of No10. To be fair to the PM, he did exactly that.

“He got rid of some people who were not serving him well and is replacing them with people such as Steve Barclay, and particularly David Canzini, who people have got a lot of confidence in. I think that is going to change the narrative completely.”

A source suggested last week that Monday’s “l iving with Covid” announcement was the ideal time for Mr Cook, who has worked on Covid policy, to seek a career elsewhere. Friends of Mr Newman have said that “the stuff Henry gets blamed for is crackers”.

There is also speculation over whether Baroness Finn, another deputy chief of staff, will remain in her role after the announcement that Samantha Cohen, a former royal aide, is to become the Prime Minister’s “gatekeeper” – a role previously carried out by the peer, who is also a close ally of Mr Gove.

The PM hopes that Mr Canzini’s appointment will help him to win back the support of some disaffected Tory backbenchers.

Mr Johnson’s leadership is considered by many MPs to be on a knife edge as he awaits the outcome of a police investigation and Cabinet Office inquiry into gatherings in Downing Street during the pandemic. Many have called for significant changes at No 10 and an overhaul of domestic policies.

In 2019, Mr Canzini advised Brexiteer Conservative MPs on the “Chuck Chequers” campaign, which lobbied against Theresa May’s Brexit deal blueprint.

His appointment comes after Mr Barclay, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was installed as No 10 chief of staff following the departure of Dan Rosenfield, who was criticised by Tory MPs as ineffective.

Mr Canzini will act as Mr Barclay’s deputy, tasked with bolstering Mr Johnson’s political operation and liaising with backbenchers. This weekend, many No10 aides were unaware of his impending arrival. His role will seemingly overlap with the duties of Declan Lyons, the PM’s political secretary, and Ben Gascoigne, another aide.

Sir Lynton is understood to be advising Mr Johnson behind the scenes.

Last month, it emerged that Mr Canzini was pushing for the removal of more No10 staff.