Dominic Cummings has resigned just a few days after Boris Johnson's Director of Communications, Lee Cain, announced that he was stepping down from his post. Such drastic moves are in the wake of Joe Biden's victory in the recent US Elections and the two situations cannot be mutually exclusive.
Cummings was in touch with the British public in a way that Johnson and the UK Government were not. His methods, though controversial, were integral in 2016 as he managed to anchor a campaign that was tailored towards the fears of the working-class public.
That understanding was vital to Johnson, particularly in the recent General Election, where the Conservatives won by a landslide as a result of simplistic slogans that resonated with the masses. Cummings was an expert at building campaigns.
However, the 48-year-old's reputation has tumbled amid the pandemic. The Barnard Castle incident was not only an embarrassment for the man himself, but also for the Government and their attempts to take charge of the pandemic.
Cummings' Vote Leave colleague, Cain was offered a promotion to become Johnson's chief of staff just a short time ago, as reported by The Guardian. But Cain has now left his position within the Government, partly due to the concern of his rebelliousness from Tory MPs, and, suddenly, a political cleansing is in action.
Political Cleansing
Cummings and Cain were two Brexiteers built from opportunism, a reminder of the divisions that came with this government. Two unelected bureaucrats with little regard for the rules and regulations that make up our society; anti-establishment operators.
The role of the duo would have been much more pertinent had President Donald Trump won a second term at the White House.
Trump, himself, is very much in favour of populism and against the establishment. The Republican Leader would certainly have admired the background intellect of Cummings; the Durham-born troublemaker wouldn't have looked out of place as an aid of Trump. But that is precisely the problem.
President Trump and Brexit were perfectly intertwined; both symbolised middle finger to global politics and a middle finger to stable leadership. The status quo was never perfect but the pursuit of something greater has been misguided.
Trump sought to make big changes but his divisive language was tearing America into separate groups. Brexit promised to reinstate Britain as a global superpower but the reality has been rather different. Politics has never been perfect but the alternatives have left much to be desired. Divisions have been widened, hate has been encouraged and lies have become preferable to uncomfortable truths.
Cummings and Cain, two big benefactors of Brexit, are going to be the fall guys for this next political shift.
New horizons
The President-elect, Joe Biden, does not believe in Brexit and what it stands for. He is essentially the opposite of Trump so such a stance isn't particularly surprising.
A Trump administration would have offered Britain a trade deal as an alternative to that of the European Union. Quite how beneficial that deal would have been to the United Kingdom remains to be seen but it would have given Johnson an opportunity to cut off ties with Brussels. Moving from one global superpower to another. Biden will not act in such a way.
Johnson knows that he shares some common ground with Biden, particularly on a desire to back climate change. The Prime Minister will now want to convey that his Conservative Party can change.
He cannot overthrow his entire cabinet but, by removing Cummings and Cain, Johnson is trying to improve his party's public image. This cabinet have embodied chaos from minute one of this pandemic but Johnson, himself, is a chancer. His Brexit backing was labelled as an opportunistic move after Johnson had previously been supportive of the EU. He will lose little sleep in trying to shift the tone of his cabinet.
Johnson is a big fan of u-turn manoeuvrers and this will be his biggest one yet: trying to change the image of the Government. He will be desperate to make a deal with the EU, adhering to the Good Friday agreement, so that he can then move onto trade talks with Biden.
If he fails to build bridges with the EU, Johnson risks missing out on a deal with America, leaving Britain in a very perilous position. The United Kingdom are not an economic superpower and they need a relationship with one in order to be prosperous.
It's make or break for the Prime Minister. Brexiteers might be left unsatisfied with the climax to Brexit but the possibility a no-deal disaster could signal the end of Johnson. He knows the consequences and that's why he will be desperate to please President Biden in the next couple on months.
