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If you haven’t watched it already, Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC interview with Dominic Cummings mentioned earlier (see 9.26am) is well worth watching. He gave evidence to MPs for seven hours about Brexit, but this interviews covers a lot not discussed in that hearing, like Brexit and Cummings’s relationship with Boris Johnson. And even though Cummings sets out his views regularly on his blog, there is a lot to be gleaned from actually watching someone being interviewed. Those smirks were remarkably telling.
The Independent’s John Rentoul has posted a transcript.
Just read 10k words of the transcript of Dominic Cummings interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg https://t.co/JJbuH5eFxc pic.twitter.com/x5IlWBNy00
This may be the most self destructive interview since Prince Andrew.
It is unbelievable that advisers could discuss getting rid of an elected PM within days of an election victory. Dominic Cummings will surely regret this interview.
Bump into politically you are uninterested neighbour post-Cummings bonfire of vanities. “They’re all mad. What is it like writing about people who are all mad?” I said I’d get back to him
A fascinating interview with Dom Cummings, expertly executed. Had previously thought it didn’t justify an hour of prime time TV, but it really did. Cummings’ narcissism craft-fully exposed. Suspect he will deeply regret doing it. Bravo @bbclaurak.
Small group of people in British politics – some of them in the House of Commons, some of them working for think-tanks, some in campaigning organisations of one kind or another, and some in the media – have a shared set of views about how the country should be run. They successfully take over a political party, remake it, and then the country. Eventually, they fall out and the political project collapses …
The Cummings story is also the story of the New Labour project, the government of David Cameron and the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. Had history gone a little bit differently, it might also have been the story of the governments of William Hague or Ed Miliband or Jeremy Corbyn …
Michael Oakeshott, you’ll remember of course, infected the conservative worldview for decades in the middle of the last century with his deep cynicism and profound lack of purpose. Politics is no great project, but rather the men in it “sail a boundless and bottomless sea … There is neither harbour nor shelter, neither starting place nor appointed destination”.
Dominic Cummings:
“We didn’t say it (Turkey) was about to join (the EU), we said it was in the process of joining.” pic.twitter.com/QHXbWGGUkF
“Who is we, who is us?!” @bbclaurak calls out the suggestion that Cummings is backed by a heap of people operating in the background, some from Vote Leave. If he does have two dozen figures that agree with him, they haven’t been very forthcoming in defending him so far. pic.twitter.com/U8ljIoRLFm
When I half jokingly asked Dominic Cummings in 2019 if he was Robespierre or Rasputin, he half smiled. After tonight’s interview with @bbclaurak I will settle for the avenging angel of the French Revolution. Dom even wanted to purge Johnson after a clear election victory!
Listening to Dominic Cummings
fascinating interview. It’s like someone who plays video games all day who thinks he is talking to people who play video games all day too.
Food supply chains are “starting to fail” because of workers isolating over coronavirus contacts, an industry leader has warned as he criticised Boris Johnson’s effort to ease the “pingdemic”, PA Media reports. PA says:
The meat industry trade body said it cannot rely on the prime minister’s new exemption for some fully-vaccinated critical workers because the bar has been set “very, very high”.
In the face of widespread criticism from businesses over staff shortages as Covid-19 cases soar, Boris Johnson announced a plan for a “small number” of critical workers to be able to continue their functions.
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