Twitter reacts to Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain leaving Downing Street - but why did they leave? Plus key moments from their careers

With suggestions he might have begun clearing his desk following Thursday’s resignation by colleague Lee Cain, sources subsequently said Boris Johnson’s chief adviser would remain employed until mid-December, but may work from home.

The latest wranglings were keenly followed on Twitter, where #DominicGoing was the top UK trend early on Friday evening, with opposition MPs tweeting their pleasure at the prospect of Mr Cummings leaving.

Shadow Lord Chancellor David Lammy tweeted: “Donald Trump defeated and soon out of the White House.

“Vaccine breakthrough.

“Dominic Cummings carrying boxes out of Number 10.

“The crisis we are living through is catastrophic, but my god, it is good to feel hope once again.”

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the departure was “not before time”, while one of his predecessors, Tim Farron, focused on the aftermath of Mr Cummings’ much-publicised trip to Barnard Castle.

He wrote: “Cummings may have gone, but let’s never forget that the worst part of the whole Barnard Castle affair was the way Conservative ministers shamelessly lined up to defend him saying ‘it’s what any loving father would have done’, while millions made huge sacrifices by staying at home.”

Mr Cummings visited the town in May in an apparent breach of lockdown rules, subsequently claiming he was testing his eyesight after recovering from coronavirus symptoms at a family home near Durham.

Labour MP Bill Esterson joked: “Cummings leaving early to beat the traffic to Barnard Castle.”

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Mr Johnson’s senior advisers were “abandoning the Prime Minister like rats on a sinking ship”.

He added: “It tells you everything you need to know about this arrogant, incompetent and self-serving Tory Government that they are ditching their responsibilities – at the exact moment their reckless decisions are causing the maximum damage to people across the UK.

“If the Prime Minister had a shred of integrity he would pack his own bags and go with them.”

The developments came after a power struggle which led to the resignation of No 10 communications director Mr Cain.

Both Mr Cummings and Mr Cain worked as part of the Vote Leave campaign, and their impending departures led Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage to speculate about a “sell-out”.

He tweeted: “It is well documented that I have never liked Dominic Cummings but he has backed Brexit.

“Seeing him leave Number 10 carrying a cardboard box tells me a Brexit sell-out is close.”

Gavin Barwell, former chief of staff to then-Prime Minister Theresa May, tweeted: “Big moment: Boris now has an opportunity to get a more harmonious, effective Downing Street operation (like he had at City Hall); improve relations with the parliamentary party; and lead a less confrontational, more unifying government that better reflects his own character.”

Meanwhile, others speculated a seat in the House of Lords could be on the cards for Mr Cummings in the future – something Tory MP Michael Fabricant described as a “wonderful thought”.

WHY IS HE LEAVING?

Dominic Cummings has only another few weeks working for the Prime Minister, with sources saying he will leave in mid-December.

Mr Cummings stoked speculation he had cleared his desk already when he was seen leaving No 10 carrying a box on Friday evening.

But why?

– What happened?

Dominic Cummings says he always intended to depart at the end of the year, and had forecast such a plan in a blog he wrote in January, but all the signs are his timing has changed after losing out in a power struggle among the Prime Minister’s inner circle.

He is thought to have wanted his close ally Lee Cain – the No 10 director of communications – to be installed as Mr Johnson’s chief of staff.

But the proposed move infuriated many senior Tories – and, it is said, the Prime Minister’s fiancee Carrie Symonds – who were alarmed at the prospect of Mr Cummings extending his influence.

When this failed to work, Mr Cain – who feared he was being sidelined with the appointment of Allegra Stratton as the new press secretary – announced he was quitting.

– What did Mr Cummings do?

Mr Cummings says reports he threatened to resign on the spot are an “invention”, but he was clearly very unhappy at what happened.

Within a little over 24 hours he was telling the BBC he would be going at the end of this year.

He said his “position hasn’t changed since my January blog” in which he said he hoped to be “largely redundant” by 2021.

The PA news agency understands both he and Mr Cain, who resigned as communications chief, will still be employed until the middle of December, although reports suggested Mr Cummings would be working from home.

– Why are people making such a fuss over an adviser leaving?

Mr Cummings was regarded as being more powerful than most ministers, exerting control over the Government’s agenda and demanding iron discipline from the army of Whitehall special advisers.

As Vote Leave campaign director he is regarded as the mastermind behind the 2016 Brexit referendum result and is credited with playing a key role in last year’s general election victory.

But his abrasive manner and open contempt for MPs and officials earned him many enemies in Westminster, who will not be sorry to see him go.

– What effect will his departure have?

It is not clear – although some at Westminster are predicting it will lead to a less confrontational style of government with a greater focus on issues such as climate change and building bridges with the devolved administrations.

Unhappy Tory MPs, who have felt ignored by No 10 since the election, will hope Downing Street will begin including them.

Others expect there will be less inclination on the part of the Government to pick fights across a range of institutions – from the BBC and the wider media to the judiciary.

Whether it works out that way remains to be seen.

KEY MOMENTS IN CAREERS OF DOMINIC CUMMINGS AND LEE CAIN

Two of the Prime Minister’s top aides, Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, are leaving their jobs at Downing Street amid bitter in-fighting at Number 10.

Sources say the pair will continue to work from home until the middle of next month after an explosive week of revelations.

Chief adviser Mr Cummings and head of communications Mr Cain are close political allies, having worked together since the Brexit campaign before heading into Number 10 when Boris Johnson became PM in 2019.

Here is a rundown of their work across Westminster and with the Prime Minister:

– 2016

Mr Cummings was appointed director of the successful Vote Leave camp during the 2016 EU referendum.

In a campaign that would later be dramatised by Channel 4, Mr Cummings controversially ordered the campaign bus to be emblazoned with the disputed claim that leaving the EU would save £350 million a week to spend on the NHS.

He was also credited with creating the “Take Back Control” motto which was seen to capture the mood of disillusionment which helped drive the Brexit vote.

The online advertising blitz highlighting the idea of a potential influx of migrants from Turkey if Britain remained in the EU – even though there was no immediate prospect of the nation joining the bloc – was also Mr Cummings’ responsibility.

Throughout the campaign, Mr Cummings worked closely with former journalist Mr Cain who was also on the Vote Leave team.

Following the referendum and Theresa May’s appointment as Prime Minister, Mr Cain joined Boris Johnson as one of his advisers at the Foreign Office when he was given the job of Foreign Secretary.

– July 2019

Boris Johnson took Mr Cummings into Number 10 to head up his operation after he won the Conservative top job in summer 2019.

The consolidation of the Vote Leave team in Downing Street followed Mr Cain’s work on Mr Johnson’s leadership race, beating former foreign and health secretary Jeremy Hunt to the job.

– January 2020

Mr Cummings wrote on his blog of wanting to become “much less important – and within a year largely redundant” in the Downing Street operation.

– May 2020

There was a public outcry after details of Mr Cummings’ trip to Durham with his family at the height of lockdown were revealed, seemingly in a high-profile breach of the rules.

Despite calls for the aide to resign over the journey – which apparently included a trip to local beauty spot Barnard Castle to check the quality of his eyesight – Mr Cummings was backed by the Prime Minister, and a rare press conference in the Downing Street Rose Garden was held to address the matter.

The Lancet published a paper by University College London in August looking at the so-called Cummings effect, finding a “clear decrease in confidence starting on 22 May (when the story of his trip broke) and continuing to fall quickly in the days following”.

– November 2020

A bitter power struggle in Number 10 led to the resignation of Mr Cain.

He had been offered the post of chief of staff but a backlash among Tories and Mr Johnson’s inner circle ultimately led him to announce his departure from Number 10 rather than a promotion.

Mr Cummings quickly followed suit, initially indicating that he would stay in post until the end of the year, but then walking out of the famous black door with his boxes seemingly packed.

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