Boris Johnson to appoint Cummings ally as chief of staff, reports claim

Former tabloid journalist who worked on Vote Leave campaign tipped for post

Mr Cain would be promoted to the role from director of communications - having previously served alongside Dominic Cummings in the Vote Leave campaign (Reuters)

Boris Johnson is set to hand the role of his chief of staff to a former Vote Leave staffer, cementing the role of the Brexit campaigning group at the top of government - it has been reported.

Lee Cain, a former tabloid journalist who once dressed up in The Mirror’s infamous chicken suit to berate Tory politicians, is reported to be in an advanced stage of talks for the role, according to The Times.

Mr Cain would be promoted to the role from director of communications - having previously served alongside Dominic Cummings in the ultimately successful campaign to see Britain leave the EU.

His rise to the top would see him join Mr Cummings in the PM’s inner circles of most senior aides, alongside Lord Udny-Lister - who Mr Johnson worked with during his time as Mayor of London.

The move is reported to be part of a plan to limit the number of people with direct access to the prime minister, the paper added - and Mr Cain’s ascension would ensure Brexit backers make up much of the group dealing directly with Mr Johnson.

A Whitehall source cited by the Daily Mail said Mr Cummings did not want the title himself but “won’t serve under anyone who has it”, adding “He would be able to work with Lee, because he knows he is an ally, not a threat”.

Mr Cain has risen to the top of the backrooms of politics in less than half a year - leaving a career at tabloid newspapers including The Sun and The Mirror to work on the Vote Leave campaign.

Whether or not he was politically aligned with the movement has been disputed - with a former colleague telling PR Week he had also applied to oversee media operations with the remain campaign.

However since the leave-side’s victory in the referendum he has worked as a special adviser at Defra under Micheal Gove and Andrea Leadsom - and briefly served under Theresa May in Downing Street before moving to the foreign office while it was occupied by Mr Johnson.