Ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid accuses Dominic Cummings of acting as ‘prime minister in all but name’ in a No10 with a ‘preference for loyalty over experience’ before the Covid pandemic as he reignites feud with adviser who cost him his job

Dominic Cummings acted like he was ‘prime minister in all but name’ in a No10 set-up designed to sideline the Cabinet and centralise control and decision making, former chancellor Sajid Javid said today.

He reignited his feud with Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser – who cost him his job running the Treasury in early 2020 in a power struggle – as he gave evidence to the official Covid inquiry.

Mr Javid, who went on to serve as Health Secretary, was grilled over his time in Downing Street ahead of the start of the pandemic.

He said he resigned as chancellor after feeling that Mr Johnson was ‘not in charge’ and Mr Cummings was ‘running the government’ ahead of an inexperienced Cabinet.

‘I would say during my time as chancellor I considered he sought to act as the prime minister in all but name and he tried to make all key decisions within No 10 – not the prime minister,’ he said. 

Mr Javid reignited his feud with Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser – who cost him his job running the Treasury in early 2020 in a power struggle – as he gave evidence to the official Covid inquiry.

He said he resigned as chancellor after feeling that Mr Johnson was ‘not in charge’ and Mr Cummings was ‘running the government’ ahead of an inexperienced Cabinet.

Mr Javid, who is standing down as MP for Bromsgrove at the next election, became Chancellor when Mr Johnson took power in July 2019.

But he was forced out and replaced by Rishi Sunak in February 2020 after losing a power struggle with Mr Cummings.

Mr Javid, who is standing down as MP for Bromsgrove at the next election, became  Chancellor when Mr Johnson took power in July 2019. 

But he was forced out and replaced by Rishi Sunak in February 2020 after losing a power struggle with Mr Cummings. 

The aide insisted Mr Javid sack his closest aides and accept a joint No10/No11 team of advisers, something he refused to do.

He told the Inquiry that No10 was ‘designed’ to place Mr Cummings and then prime minister Boris Johnson as ‘decision-makers’, above an ‘inexperienced’ Cabinet.

‘It was clear that in Dominic Cummings that the PM had picked someone he had decided to trust with a huge amount of responsibility and power,’ Mr Javid said.

‘Many times I felt that many of the key decisions were being made by Mr Cummings rather than by the PM.’

An exert from his witness statement to the UK Covid-19 public inquiry read: ‘I consider that the Cabinet that went into the pandemic had less experience of being in government or holding offices of state than many previous cabinets.

‘They were not a team who were well-versed in the affairs of government outside of a crisis and I can imagine that may have caused difficulties during the pandemic.

‘My view is that the cabinet was designed to place Dominic Cummings and the prime minister as the decision-makers: the goal was to centralise power in No 10 with a preference for loyalty over experience.’

Asked about the statement, Mr Javid said: ‘The reason I’ve said this in my statement is because when this cabinet was put in place, and although there was some minor changes I think right after the general election, this cabinet was essentially the cabinet that was put in place in July 2019 by the new prime minister Boris Johnson.

‘Obviously there was no expectation or even any thought towards a future crisis of this proportion and I think the focus was on the commitment of the new prime minister to deliver on the Brexit commitments to take the UK out of the European Union.

‘I think sort of one of the primary considerations was to have a cabinet put together that would support the prime minister in that process. And that was largely the same cabinet that was in place.’

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