Intrigue on Downing Street

D.he firing of an employee of Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed trench warfare at 10 Downing Street, which also includes private dimensions. Until now, only Dominic Cummings was known to the public among the water carriers at the center of power. The prime minister’s chief political advisor also plays a role in the most recent affair – and could soon be the decisive one. But so far the focus has been on a man named Lee Cain, who recently headed the Downing Street Communications Department. The conflict for Cain was so severe that not only Cummings threatened to resign, but also David Frost, Johnson’s specialist in European and international relations. It’s not guaranteed what threats Cain’s most important opponent made: Johnson’s girlfriend Carrie Symonds.

To understand the main characteristics of the confused conflict, it is worth taking a look at the tabloid “Daily Mail”. This reported Thursday of a brawl between the “Brexit Boys” and the “Carrie Symonds Crew”. The “Brexit Boys” are the people Cummings brought to Downing Street last summer. Most of them had helped him when he spearheaded the “leave campaign” for the EU referendum in 2016. Cain, a seasoned journalist, achieved particularly rapid growth. He held the top communications position in the government and had access to Johnson almost always.

Since moving to the center of power, the “Brexit Boys” have been particularly offensive towards Tory ministers and MPs. They resent Cummings and his friends for protecting Johnson. But they also criticize their disrespectful behavior and the fact that most of them are not Conservative party members to this day. The reluctance to drag the prime minister into populist adventures and make mistakes in crown policy, which force Johnson and the government into embarrassing turning maneuvers, is backed by accusations. The “Brexit Boys” also have opponents in the premier’s office, and this is where Carrie Symonds comes in, whose influence should not be underestimated.

Before Symonds joined Johnson and became the mother of her allegedly sixth child, she worked as the head of communications for the Conservative Party. He has his own idea of ​​politics and also his own network. The “Symonds troupe” includes the head of the Downing Street Political Department, Johnson’s longtime employee Munira Mirza, and the new government special spokesperson, Allegra Stratton. As far as is known, it was Stratton’s call that sparked the spark in this powder keg.

The idea of ​​recruiting a female face for the public had been around for a long time in Downing Street. The model is based on the American system, where a presidential spokesperson holds a weekly press conference at the White House – televised. British government spokespersons traditionally stand on the sidelines and inform only a small group of correspondents who have special access to Parliament. They are allowed to take notes, but neither film nor record, which gives the “lobby briefings” a back room smell.