Dominic Cummings

The roots of the government’s latest attacks on the BBC can be traced back to blogs written by Dominic Cummings’ think tank 16 years ago. If you are planning a coup, taking control of the national broadcaster is a job for day one. Boris Johnson did not need a coup to secure power – he […]

A Tory MP has likened Boris Johnson to King Theoden from The Lord of the Rings and accused him of being “under the spell” of his special adviser, Dominic Cummings. Former European Research Group chair Steve Baker said Johnson needed to be “woken up” from his “slumber” as he suggested his advisers like Cummings were in control […]

I have tended to avoid Dominic Cummings in my columns here. Mainly, because often the best way to deal with attention-seekers is to ignore them. Also, even at the subconscious level, perhaps I turn away from situations in which a right-hand man to a prime minister is getting too much media coverage for his own […]

Dominic Cummings’ data protection shake-up threatens billions of pounds in trade with the EU, Brussels has warned. Cummings’ radical “pro-tech” plan to rewrite Britain’s data protection laws could jeopardise the flow of data between the UK and the EU, the Guardian has revealed. The government released its new data strategy report which promises a “transformation” of the UK’s […]

In a Britain where Gavin Williamson is education secretary, Suella Braverman is attorney general, Liam Fox is our candidate to lead the WTO and Priti Patel is home secretary, it comes as little surprise to hear of Boris Johnson’s supposed choice as the new chairman of the BBC Board. As the Mail on Sunday asked, […]

Seemingly unsackable and above the law, Dominic Cummings can legitimately lay claim to being the most powerful man in the land. Boris Johnson’s omnipotent adviser has still, however, to be the subject of a single biography. Mandrake hears that one journalist, who has lately stepped down from a national newspaper, has shown publishers what I am told is […]

Tory Brexiteer MP Mark Francois has warned Britain’s top army general that Dominic Cummings is going to come and ‘sort you out’ if his department does not get itself in order. Francois issued the threat after criticising the defence procurement process during a session of the House of Commons defence select committee. He told general […]