Dominic Cummings is carrying the can for Boris Johnson’s mistakes – but we may not have seen the last of him

Cummings would cross a motorway for a fight: his macho politics and confrontational approach were unsuited to governing, writes Andrew Grice

Johnson’s adviser has left No 10 (Getty)

At the start of a meeting with a group of Conservative MPs, Dominic Cummings said he did not know their names. They thought it was a wind-up. It wasn’t. The backbenchers thought it rude, and typical of his disdain towards them.

Boris Johnson’s most influential adviser was not bothered about traditions like showing MPs respect; he revelled in ripping them up. But this incident shows how he made enemies for the sake of it– ultimately, too many for Cummings to remain in Downing Street.

Johnson begged Cummings to join his team when he became prime minister. He demanded free rein and total power: he would work directly to Johnson, not to a chief of staff. He could have become the chief of staff but preferred power without responsibility. It came back to bite Cummings this week, leading to an earlier departure than he had expected, only weeks after parking his tanks on the civil service’s lawn by moving his office from No 10 to the Cabinet Office at 70 Whitehall.