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Dominic Cummings attacks Guto Harri appointment as No 10 PR chief

06 Feb 2022 4 minute read
Dominic Cummings (left). Guto Harri. Photo GB News

Dominic Cummings has attacked Guto Harri following the Welsh broadcaster’s appointment as the new Downing Street PR chief.

Boris Johnson’s former advisor, who is locked in a bitter feud with his old boss, has shared a message he said he’s received from inside No 10, which pejoratively described Harri a “pro-Remain lobbyist”.

The message shared by Cummings in Twitter also included a number of disparaging remarks about Johnson by Harri, as well as a clown face emoji, and the hashtag #RegimeChange.

The move to appoint Y Byd yn ei Le presenter Harri, who was Johnson’s PR chief during his tenure as Mayor of London, comes following the resignation of Jack Doyle as the Prime Minister’s Director of Communications last week.

In a tweet yesterday, Cummings wrote:

The Spectator’s political gossip columnist, Steerpike, has pointed to “disparaging comments” about Johnson by Harri in the last decade.

In an article called ‘five times Harri attacked the prime minister’, Steerpike suggested that Johnson was having a “tough time in finding someone who hadn’t slagged him off to come and join his team.”

Following Johnson’s resignation from the post of Foreign Secretary in 2018, twelve months before becoming PM, Harri suggested that Johnson’s backing of Brexit had “destroyed him…as nobody believed that he was sincere”

Later that year in an interview for BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster Harri said that Johnson’s inflammatory language as well as being “sexually incontinent” would scupper his ambitions to become PM

In a Telegraph article in November 2020 Harri claimed “the communications strategy during this Covid crisis has been a masterclass in incompetence’ and that with his confrontational manner had ‘been relentlessly causing offence”

‘Context’ 

Commenting on the alleged Downing Street parties in an appearance on Newsnight last month Harri accused the PM of not providing “enough context” in his partygate apology, saying “I think we can safely assume that there were many more gatherings like this because it seems to be a pattern.

“Somebody needs to put them in context and explain, yes maybe they’re unforgivable but they’re also understandable at the time in some ways.

“The problem at the moment is that nobody seems to be getting a grip, and the Prime Minister has to invite an inquiry to conclude what went on in his own house.”

Reacting to the news of the appointment of Guto Harri and Steve Barclay last night, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies praised the appointment, saying: “Good decisions Boris Johnson. Congratulations Steve Barclay and Guto Harri”.

Steve Barclay has been appointed the new Downing Street chief of staff, but he will stay on a minister and create a new Office of the Prime Minister across No 10 and the Cabinet Office, where he is now based, according to The Sunday Times journalist. Barclay replaces Dan Rosenfield in the post.

Vale of Glamorgan MP, Alun Cairns welcomed the news, saying:

In a post on Twitter, Tim Shipman, Chief Political Commentator, Sunday Times said: “Johnson putting the old gang back together.”

Johnson said: “This week I promised change, so that we can get on with the job the British public elected us to do. We need to continue our recovery from the pandemic, help hundreds of thousands more people into work, and deliver our ambitious agenda to level up the entire country, improving people’s opportunities regardless of where they’re from.

“The changes I’m announcing to my senior team today will improve how No 10 operates, strengthen the role of my cabinet and backbench colleagues, and accelerate our defining mission to level up the country.”


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hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

About a week ago I watched Guto on S4C leading an outdoor discussion with Hywel Williams ( an old school Tory, of some kind) and Ben Lake. Given the tone of that programme I’m surprised that Boris offered him any kind of job. Must be in a serious corner with few if any other contenders for what is a silly role spinning and lying to cover the buffoon’s behaviour.

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Mmmmph! Cairns desperately seeking a new backside to kiss.

Last edited 2 years ago by Quornby
Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

I’d say he’s given Guto the kiss of death!

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

No mate ….a new job to add to the many others

Cwm Rhondda
Cwm Rhondda
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

Cairns and Harri both traitors

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

Kick this idiot out of wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

I think you may find ths GH resides beyond Offas Dyke.

DWED
DWED
2 years ago

Embarrassing to see a Welshman taking this job – unless he is a ‘double agent’.

George
George
2 years ago

Cummings can’t decide whether he wants to bash Boris or protect his Brexit. Best description I’ve seen of him is that he’s like a captured foreign spy where he has some interesting insight but you can’t trust what he’s saying unless you have other evidence to back it up.

Argol Fawr!
Argol Fawr!
2 years ago

A man of very few principles it’s clear, I give Guto H. a couple of months at most. Sooner if his boss gets the push as the vast majority of Wales, the other devolved nations and even England now hope. Though that’ll only be one less crook in there.

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago

Anyone fancy Guto’s first job, first Monday in work? Carrie Johnson has issued a statement saying that she is a private individual who takes no part in government. Which rather begs the question what she was doing at all those “work gatherings” she is pictured attending.

Last edited 2 years ago by Kerry Davies
Sian
Sian
2 years ago

How anyone can take seriously anything Dominik Cummings has to say is bewildering. Yes a very clever & devious individual but with no ethics or morals whatsoever. The Barnard Castle incident makes his criticism of breaching any Covid rules hypocritical to say the least.

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