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Agence France-Presse

Dominic Cummings, the controversial brains behind the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, will step down as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide, a government source said on Friday.
Cummings, a divisive figure who carved out a uniquely powerful role in government, said on Thursday he expected to leave at the end of the year, following the final stage of Brexit.
But he was seen leaving Johnson’s 10 Downing Street office on Friday carrying a cardboard box.
The government source said Cummings would officially be employed until mid-December, but news outlets including Sky News and the BBC reported he would no longer be reporting for duty.
Downing Street has been mired in a power struggle that spilled into public view, even as Britain passed the grim milestone of 50,000 Covid-19 deaths with England in partial lockdown.

Cummings on Thursday reiterated comments made in a blog post in January that he would make himself “largely redundant” within a year.
“My position hasn’t changed since my January blog,” Cummings told the BBC.
Cummings departure then would have coincided with the end of the Brexit transition period, when Britain embarks on life outside European Union rules and regulations on January 1.
His premature departure led fellow Brexit champion Nigel Farage to tweet that “seeing him leave Number 10 carrying a cardboard box tells me a Brexit sell-out is close”, as trade talks between Britain and the EU reach crunch time.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News on Friday said the Downing Street aide would “be missed”.
“In any government you require people who are going to shake things up and come along with ideas, he’s actually been that person.”
Senior Boris Johnson aide Lee Cain quits in sign of tension in UK government
Cummings, a dome-headed enigma with an unconventional dress sense and combative political approach, was appointed chief adviser by Johnson when he took power in July 2019.
He helped to secure a thumping election victory last December but his reportedly controlling style and frequent clashes with colleagues are said to have led to persistent tensions.
He courted damaging controversy earlier this year after making a cross-country journey during the coronavirus lockdown which appeared to breach strict regulations he had helped to design.
Cummings, who had Covid-19 symptoms at the time while his wife had contracted the virus, claimed it was necessary to ensure he had childcare options for their young son.
His actions prompted a furious public and a political backlash but he refused to resign and Johnson stood by him at considerable political cost.

Cummings has since helped to spearhead the government’s response to the pandemic, and is thought to be the architect of Johnson’s “moon shot” plan for millions of daily tests to allow those without coronavirus to circulate freely.
Downing Street has faced sustained criticism over its centralised handling of the crisis, with its death toll the highest in Europe.
Johnson’s response to the increase in cases has been to impose a four-week partial lockdown in England, angering many of his own Conservative MPs.
One Tory veteran, Bernard Jenkin, said Cummings’ exit would be a chance to restore “respect, integrity and trust” between MPs and Downing Street, which have been “lacking in recent months”.
The news comes just a day after the resignation of Johnson’s communications director Lee Cain, a close Cummings ally who also worked on the “Leave” side of the 2016 referendum.
The less high-profile, Cain – a former tabloid journalist who once dressed as a chicken to goad Johnson’s predecessor David Cameron – had been offered the post of chief of staff.
But a subsequent backlash among some Conservatives and within the prime minister’s inner circle instead led to him to quit.
The departure of both men, alongside the launch of US-style daily televised press briefings, could herald a shift in tone and strategy from Johnson’s government.
Lawmaker David Lammy, from the main opposition Labour Party, said the departures were “like rats fleeing a sinking ship”.


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Britain

Brexit architect Dominic Cummings steps down as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide

Dominic Cummings, special adviser for Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, carries a box of possessions as he leaves 10 Downing Street in London on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Boris Johnson rushes to Parliament after an Armistice Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Services held in many nations Wednesday commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the armistice ending World War I and honoring all those who died in war. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Dominic Cummings, special advisor for Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, November 13, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

UK preparing for no-trade deal Brexit, Boris Johnson says

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: DPA

St Mary's Church, of which parts date back to the 12th century, stands neighboring where a post-Brexit customs clearance border post facility is being constructed on land that was previously a field between the villages of Mersham and Sevington in the county of Kent, south east England, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

epa08068784 German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a press conference at the end of the second day of the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, 13 December 2019. EU leaders gathered in Brussels on 12 and 13 December to discuss climate change, the EU's long-term budget and external relations, the economic and monetary union and Brexit, among other issues. EPA-EFE/JULIEN WARNAND

Brexit: EU takes legal action against UK over planned withdrawal bill

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement about legal action against Britain, ahead of the start of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Photo: AP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen adjusts her facemask ahead of delivering a statement ahead of the first day of a European Union (EU) summit at The European Council Building in Brussels on October 1, 2020. - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared October 1, 2020, that Brussels is taking legal action over the British government's attempt to overturn parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. (Photo by JOHANNA GERON / POOL / AFP)

A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament's Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson standing at the dispatch box and speaking during Prime Minister's Question time (PMQs) in the socially distanced House of Commons in London on September 30, 2020. (Photo by - / various sources / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / PRU " - NO USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SATIRICAL, MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

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Cummings had said on Thursday he expected to leave at the end of the year, following the final stage of Brexit
However he was seen leaving Boris Johnson’s 10 Downing Street office on Friday carrying a cardboard box



A government source said Cummings would officially be employed until mid-December, but news outlets reported he would no longer be reporting for duty.
