Politics Explained

Will Dominic Cummings seek revenge?

The abrupt exit of the prime minister’s chief adviser has prompted a flurry of speculation about what comes next for the former Vote Leave supremo. Sean O’Grady considers whether this is indeed the end of the story – or whether Mr Cummings will be back

Monday 16 November 2020 22:04 GMT
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<p>Leave means leave: Cummings exits Downing Street</p>

Leave means leave: Cummings exits Downing Street

Will Dominic Cummings throw a grenade back at Downing Street following his summary dismissal by the prime minister?  

Reports suggest it is in his mind. Asked about future plans, the prime minister’s former chief adviser makes a mime of pulling the safety pin out of a grenade and lobbing it with intent at some unspecified but easily identified object. He seems to be the sort of personality who likes to have the last word, and does not let go easily.  

When, for example, in 2014 he was special adviser to Michael Gove at education, the prime minister David Cameron fired Cummings, so troublesome was he. Yet he still turned up at the department and made no secret of his contempt for Cameron and most of his party (Cummings has never been a Tory member). Cummings detailed and lengthy blogs, and the equally meticulous briefings he sometimes offers journalists also point to his taste for explication and analysis, often through the prism of military or managerial strategy. 

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