Boris Johnson’s new Special Adviser Dominic Cummings has instructed Government staff during their first meeting on Friday over how to proceed with policy ideas. Mr Cummings explained that the Treasury would release extra money to each department if they requested it to help prepare for a no deal scenario.
The mastermind of Vote Leave is believed to have urged aides to ask themselves the following question when discussing new policies: “Does it help deliver Brexit?”
Aides attending the meeting were “left in no doubt” that both themselves and their ministers were just been asked to undergo a “bit of a loyalty test”, according to one insider cited by BuzzFeed News’ Alex Wickham.
By asking whether or not a policy idea would help deliver Brexit on time, Mr Cummings de facto “required to personally commit to leaving the EU by October 31, do or die”, BuzzFeed News added.
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Mr Cummings is a keen Brexiteer who has not only led the Vote Leave campaign but has also come up with the most resonant slogan ahead of the EU Referendum – “taking back control”.
Despite being appointed Special Adviser, who traditionally assists and advises Government ministers, Mr Cummings has often shown contempt for the civil service system, which he had branded “decrepit”.
Mr Cummings has also lashed out against some MPs, including former Brexit Secretary David Davis, branded in 2017 “as lazy as a toad”.
Mr Cummings is just one of the many new faces in Whitehall following the radical reshaping of the Government by Mr Johnson.
The new Prime Minister has been appointed by the Queen on Wednesday afternoon after Theresa May’s last PMQs and her official resignation to the monarch.
The Brexiteer sacked as many as 17 Cabinet ministers within hours, including Karen Bradley, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, and Penny Mordaunt, the Defence Secretary.
Several ministers, including Defence minister Tobias Ellwood, were also forced out.
Most of the people who were let go by Mr Johnson were Remainers or close allies of Mrs May.
Mr Ellwood, the former army officer hailed as a hero after he tried to save the life of PC Keith Palmer after the Westminster attack, had often criticised the prospect of a no deal Brexit.
After being sacked, he said: “I have been very much of a view and have been vocal to say I think a deal is possible given the numbers and where we go.
“We would be in the abyss for a decade.
“But ultimately you can see the make-up of this Government, it’s for a particular challenge and I think – it’s the Prime Minister’s decision, the make-up of the team, to meet the particular challenge of the day.”
