‘I am the Fuhrer,’ Boris Johnson said to have told adviser who overstepped role
Report says in 2019 scandal-ridden premier felt insulted as Dominic Cummings tried to keep him out of the loop, leading to outburst
In 2019, as then-British prime minister Boris Johnson became increasingly shut out from government decision-making by his chief adviser Dominic Cummings after a successful election campaign, the premier gave way to an outburst in which he called himself “the Fuhrer,” according to a new book recording the collapse of Johnson’s government.
Conservative Party politician Michael Gove recalled that following the 80-seat majority victory, Johnson resented that Cummings acted like “the lord protector with a young and inexperienced king,” in an extract from “Johnson at 10,” by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell, published in The Times newspaper over the weekend.
“After the election, Boris no longer wanted to be treated as a tempestuous thoroughbred, with a strong whip and bridle to keep him in order. Dom could be insulting and rude. Some days the prime minister could laugh it off, but other days he didn’t,” Gove said.
Cummings would tell officials and ministers “Don’t tell the PM” or “Oh, don’t bother him with this.” The then-prime minister was “increasingly troubled” by being bypassed on several issues.
“I am meant to be in control. I am the Führer. I’m the king who takes the decisions,” Johnson said, according to an adviser cited in the book.
Cummings, the controversial brains behind the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, was appointed chief adviser by Johnson when he took power in July 2019.
He helped to secure a thumping election victory that December, but his frequent clashes with colleagues are said to have led to persistent tensions and he left the government a year later.
Cummings’s reputation was severely damaged after he went on a lengthy cross-country journey with his family, claiming he and his wife needed help from relatives after they both developed COVID-19 symptoms, despite stay-at-home rules in force.
Johnson, known for his knack for wiggling out of tight spots, remained in power despite allegations that he was too close to party donors, that he protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and that he misled Parliament and was dishonest to the public about government office parties that broke pandemic lockdown rules.
But disclosures that Johnson knew about sexual misconduct allegations against Chris Pincher, a Conservative lawmaker, before he promoted the man to a senior position pushed the prime minister to the brink, and he was pressured to resign in July.
The Times of Israel Community.