Something tells me Boris Johnson's plan to sack a load of of officials so that he can keep his own job isn't going to work out quite the way he expects.
Boris Johnson is drawing up a list of officials to offer resignations over partygate in a bid to salvage his premiership, The Independent has learned.
Dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog” by the prime minister himself, the blueprint includes a drive to work out which heads should roll following the publication of senior official Sue Gray’s findings, as well as highlighting the prime minister’s achievements, according to sources. Officials have also started using the codename, The Independent understands.
Dan Rosenfield, Boris Johnson’s chief of staff, and Martin Reynolds, his private secretary and author of the ‘BYOB’ email, have both been noted as possible departures.
While putting names to the plan is a matter of hot debate, a more broadly accepted idea is that at least one senior political appointee and a senior official must be seen to leave Downing Street over the affair, as both groups share blame, two Whitehall sources said.
A former Tory cabinet minister told The Independent that, although they backed Mr Johnson, they believed a “root and branch” overhaul of No 10 and parts of the Cabinet Office would prove essential to move on from partygate. It would be a “bare minimum to translate contrition into action”, they said.
Will this One Neat Trick really work on the British voters?
Also heard rumors that Jezza wants to form a breakaway party. Will further dilution of the Left save Johnson?