Politics latest news: Boris Johnson s Dyson texts to be published today, amid row over Cummings role in leaks Cat Neilan
Boris Johnson has said his communications with billionaire Sir James Dyson will be published today , as Number 10 sources blamed Dominic Cummings for the leaks.
The Prime Minister, who had told Ian Blackford that he would publish all the details on Wednesday, did not comment on allegations that his former adviser was in the frame for having briefed journalists about his correspondence with the tech entrepreneur, and separately with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
He told journalists: If you think that there s anything remotely dodgy or rum or weird or sleazy about trying to secure more ventilators at a time of a national pandemic and doing everything in your power to do that, then I think you are out of your mind.
Politics latest news: Cummings allies hit back at No 10 war, saying the rebel always wins Cat Neilan
Allies of Dominic Cummings have hit back at Number 10 for launching open warfare against the ex-adviser, warning Boris Johnson the rebel always wins .
The Prime Minister s former right-hand man was last night named by Downing Street sources as the person suspected of leaking text messages, with sources telling the Telegraph they believed he was bitter about the Government s success after his sudden exit last year.
But several Westminster figures questioned the wisdom of such a move, warning it had blown the story up and put the PM more in the spotlight .
Since 1995, the seven Nolan principles have set out the ethical standards that those working in the public sector are expected to follow, ranging from “selflessness” to “leadership”. But they have often been hard to discern in a number of recent government actions.
The circumstances around communities secretary Robert Jenrick’s decision in the Westferry Printworks affair to overrule the government’s planning inspectorate, saving Conservative donor Richard Desmond £45m, led to concerns about a possible conflict of interest, and were hardly the most obvious example of “objectivity” or “integrity”.
And when the home secretary was found to have broken the ministerial code in a way that “may be described as bullying”, many will feel she did not respond with “accountability” or “leadership”. Like Mr Jenrick, Ms Patel was backed by the prime minister following her actions, while the standards chief Sir Alex Allan resigned – and has yet to be replaced.
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âWe all know how it works. The lunches, the hospitality, the quiet word in your ear, the ex-ministers and ex-advisers for hire, helping big business find the right way to get its way.â So said David Cameron in 2010, in a speech on lobbying shortly before he became prime minister.
A decade on, it has become painfully clear that the former British leader did indeed know how it worked. In recent weeks, Cameron has seen his reputation savaged amid details of his lobbying efforts on behalf of the financier, Lex Greensill. Each day has brought new revelations about the relationship between the government and Greensill Capital, the supply chain finance company that collapsed last month.