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Twitter is full of folks saying ‘Lee Cain’s departure doesn’t matter’. Here’s why it does:
- Cain was in charge of comms for the Johnson government. It’s pretty clear that in combination with policy, messaging has been one of the biggest failures of the PM's first year in govt.
- Cain was in charge of comms for the Johnson government. It’s pretty clear that in combination with policy, messaging has been one of the biggest failures of the PM's first year in govt.
- Comms aren’t superficial, it’s how most people understand interact with policy that defines their lives. They’re hugely important during a pandemic when clear messaging can save lives. Johnson’s No10 operation could have obviously done better, hence why Cain is leaving.
- Cain’s allies argue he's worked ferociously hard for Johnson over the last four years and many of the comms failures over the last 12 months were due to poor decision making. That is another major problem the PM has to address - and is where this whole row started.
- No10 aides like Lee Cain and his boss Dominic Cummings are more powerful than Cabinet ministers (rightly or wrong). Their competence and comings’n'goings matters to the whole government. The significance of Cain's departure is the start of a potential shake up of the whole govt
- The first year of the Johnson administration has been less of a Conservative administration than a Vote Leave one. Johnson’s premiership rests on the chief 2016 Brexiters. But with Cain’s departure - and lots of eyes on Cummings - we could be witnessing a major shift by the PM.
- Ministers are welcoming the news of a No10 set. One saying "This is great news. It will lead to better government” another says "One down, one to go”. They recognise the importance of this moment that will decide the future trajectory of the Johnson government.
- Johnson has acted against his Vote Leave gang twice: first when he hired Allegra Stratton, second when he declined to make Lee Cain his chief of staff last night. The curtains appear to be drawing on the huge VL influence in Whitehall, although aides say “never bet against Dom”
- If the rule of the Vote Leave faction comes to an end, who and what replaces it? What is Johnsonism? Who can can deliver levelling up? What will guide the UK through the next phase of the pandemic? What does Brexit look like? All these questions are prompted by Cain’s departure
