‘I wouldn’t have said it’: Sunak welcomes PM apology for Savile smear at Starmer
Four key members of Boris Johnson’s team have resigned today.
Munira Mirza, the prime minister’s director of policy, was the first to quit over the PM’s attempted smear of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
In the Commons on Monday, the PM accused Sir Keir – when he was director of public prosecutions – of failing to take action against Savile before the child sex abuser died.
Mr Johnson has since acknowledged that Sir Keir had “nothing to do with” the case, but has refused to apologise.
Hours later, Jack Doyle announced his resignation as No 10’s director of communications – but insisted that he always intended to leave after two years and that his decision was not linked to Ms Mirza’s.
Then two more members of staff – chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and principal private secretary Martin Reynolds – offered their resignations, a No 10 spokesperson.
The spokesperson added: “They will continue in their roles while successors are appointed, and recruitment for both posts is underway.”
Boris Johnson’s allies in damage-limitation mode for PM
Some Tory MPs are trying to shore up some support for the prime minister after four of his aides quit today.
Wolverhamption South West MP Stuart Anderson has tweeted that the “change” that Boris Johnson has promised is “starting to happen”.
Mr Johnson made the promises in the Commons on Monday when addressing senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report on the lockdown-busting Downing Street parties.
A number of other MPs have also tweeted words of support after a plan to recover the PM’s ailing reputation was reportedly cooked up on WhatsApp.
The MPs have claimed that the aides’ resignations are part of the “shake up” of Downing Street that Mr Johnson had promised.
Lamiat Sabin3 February 2022 21:30
Who are the latest two aides to resign?
The former Treasury aide had been brought into No 10 as Boris Johnson’s chief of staff at the beginning of last year.
His appointment followed the double resignation of Dominic Cummings, the former de facto chief of staff, and Lee Cain, the ex-communications director.
The former British ambassador to Libya for less than a year has been the PM’s principal private secretary since 2019.
Downing Street said that he is now set to return to the Foreign Office.
Mr Reynolds came to the public’s attention recently when he was revealed to have been the sender of the infamous “bring your own booze” email sent out to more than 100 Downing Street staff.
The email was an invite to the Downing Street garden gathering hosted during the height of coronavirus lockdown in May 2020.
The allegations of lockdown-busting parties are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
Senior civil servant Sue Gray had launched a probe into the…
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