Dominic Cummings now 3/1 to leave Downing Street by end of March
Dominic Cummings is now 3/1 to leave the government by the end of next month.
One week on from Sajid Javid’s shock resignation as chancellor, which is widely believed to have been driven by Cummings, Boris Johnson’s senior aide continued to court controversy in Downing Street this week.
Ladbrokes is now offering odds as short as 3/1 for Cummings to quit or be sacked by 31 March.
The bookmaker said: "Barely a day goes by without a Cummings controversy at the moment. It's not out of the realms of possibility he leaves, but MPs who aren't his biggest fan may be kept waiting a little longer."
Cummings has been such a disruptive presence in Westminster that he is arguably talked about more than any other politician except Johnson himself.
Javid’s resignation last week focused attention on Cummings’ power in Number 10 like never before. He quit rather than obey a demand to fire his aides, something Javid said no “self-respecting minister” would do.
Read more: The unelected official with enormous power in Downing Street
This was followed by the controversy surrounding the hiring of Downing Street adviser Andrew Sabisky, who was employed after Cummings made a callout for “weirdos and misfits” to apply for jobs in the government.
It transpired Sabisky had a history of offensive online remarks, including saying black Americans have lower IQs than white Americans, and a comment on Cummings’ blog in 2014 that compulsory birth control should be imposed to stop creating a “permanent underclass”.
Cummings hits out when asked about Sabisky
In a Yahoo News UK profile of Cummings last week, leading politics professor Tim Bale said of Cummings’ power in Downing Street: “He is extremely influential over Johnson.
“He was the man who many credit with Leave winning in 2016 [as campaign director of Vote Leave] and with the strategy Johnson has pursued since taking over as PM.
Read more: I would have stopped Brexit and united the country, Blair claims
“He is someone who believes the institution of British government is dysfunctional, hasn’t caught up with the 21st century, and needs reform.
“He believes Number 10 should have more control over the ministries that make up government, which means more control over ministers themselves and their special advisers.”
