Revelations that Rishi Sunak was hoping to bring Dominic Cummings back into the fold have given the Conservatives the “worst possible start to the year”, a government minister has told Robert Peston.
The prime minister, whose party is trailing behind Labour in the polls, reportedly discussed working with Boris Johnson’s ex-chief aide as he prepares to go to the country in 2024.
Cummings’ price for returning to the fold was that the PM would have to enact radical reforms, which Sunak ultimately rejected, the Sunday Times reported.
No 10 has not denied Mr Cummings’ account but said no job offer was made.
Speaking to Peston, two recent Tory ministers, one of whom is still serving, said they are all astonished and depressed that Sunak held those secret meetings.
“This is the worst possible start to the year”, said one. “At a time when the PM needs our personal loyalty more than ever, he’s alienated both wings of the party,” said another.
Two of the three MPs said they had told Sunak explicitly to stay well away from Cummings, and they feel personally let down.
The third said that the meetings showed “yet again” that “Rishi may be able to do policy but he certainly can’t do politics – if he’d brought Cummings back into government, there would have been the mother of all revolts on our benches, so meeting him to discuss that prospect looks like the worst judgement.”
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