Just as actors will not say ‘Macbeth’ for fear it will bring a hex upon their heads, Matt Hancock would not utter the name ‘Dominic Cummings‘. Lip curling like a brandy snap, he spoke of ‘that witness’ or ‘some people’ or ‘an adviser’ but never once resorted to the C word. Salty-tongued Mr Cummings could … Read more
BBC presenter Nick Robinson was last night forced to row back after giving the impression he had seen gold wallpaper in Boris Johnson‘s Downing Street flat. The Radio 4 Today host last week challenged an account by former Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries that the wallpaper never existed, claiming it had been ‘pointed out to me’ … Read more
Dominic Cummings branded the Cabinet ‘useless f***pigs’ as he raged about the Covid response in extraordinary messages to Boris Johnson. The former No10 chief ranted at the then-PM in a series of missives as their relationship disintegrated, warning that the government was being consumed by ‘mayhem’. He also slated ministers as ‘c***s’ and ‘morons’ in … Read more
Dominic Cummings was left squirming yesterday as he was accused of poisoning the pandemic response with toxic briefings against colleagues. In an explosive and expletive-riddled four-hour hearing at the Covid Inquiry, Boris Johnson‘s former chief aide was confronted over a string of vicious messages that appeared designed to undermine fellow senior figures. Gasps were heard … Read more
After four hours listening to Dominic Cummings the average onlooker may have felt the urge to yowl, loudly, quite possibly at the moon. Heaven knows how Boris Johnson put up with him so long. Mr Cummings is a one-man demoraliser, a ceaseless castigator, a husky-voiced Cassandra. This intense oddball, veins throbbing on his bald head, thought … Read more
Dominic Cummings‘s personality was described to me as ‘dark triad coupled with everyday sadism’. That was from an extremely successful individual who worked with him for a short period and had to seek professional help as a result. Almost everyone I have spoken to describes him as a narcissist and that’s the nicest thing they … Read more
I have always enjoyed working alongside men, even at the Sunday Telegraph in the 1980s when I edited their now quaintly named women’s pages. Every day, the news editor would barrel past with his exclusively male cohort on their way to a three-hour liquid lunch, gaily chanting: ‘Women’s ghetto, women’s ghetto!’ But judging by the … Read more
My intention when I started to research this book was to tell the story of how Boris Johnson was ousted from power. Instead, what I uncovered was a small group of men, most of them unelected and some totally unknown outside of a tight Westminster bubble, who have been operating at the heart of the Conservative Party … Read more
Boris Johnson was ousted by a cabal that has been controlling the Tory leadership for two decades, according to an explosive book. In The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries identifies Michael Gove, Dominic Cummings and a powerful adviser called Dougie Smith as members of ‘the movement’. She says it toppled Mr … Read more
Former Prime Minister told the Covid Inquiry he had to balance options in 2020 He said it was ‘highly unlikely’ that earlier action could have prevented lockdown Johnson brushed aside suggestions he was ‘pushed into’ ordering a lockdown By Jason Groves Political Editor Published: 22:42 GMT, 3 November 2023 | Updated: 01:39 GMT, 4 November … Read more