Tensions at No 10 play out over top role
- Published
Lee Cain is one of the prime minister's closest allies
What is going on? I know from time to time that's a question we ask on here.
This time, it's about what is happening behind the shiny black door in Downing Street, and whether the government machine is ticking along as it should.
The short answer, well, no.
After a bumpy few weeks, late last night The Times and The Daily Mail reported that the prime minister had been in discussions about offering his director of communications, Lee Cain, a promotion to become his chief of staff.
After the turmoil of recent weeks it's not exactly surprising that Boris Johnson wants to try to bring order to 'the house' as it's known on the inside.
Leaks, u-turns, on top of the obvious political nightmare of trying to manage a pandemic mean it's not that surprising that the prime minister wants to try at least to create a calmer atmosphere where things happen in a slightly more conventional way.
But just as soon as news of this potential appointment emerged, which several sources have told me has been discussed, with an actual offer made by the prime minister at the weekend, so did consternation among some MPs, some ministers, and other insiders in government.
One Tory source even suggested that the prime minster's fiancée, Carrie Symonds, is understood to be unhappy about it and has made that clear.
The new press spokesperson, Allegra Stratton, whose appointment created some tension with Mr Cain, is also thought to believe it would be a mistake to give him the position. And his influential policy adviser, Munira Mirza, is also though to be against.
One insider told me that the prime minister was still mulling it as a possibility, and hadn't yet taken a final decision. Another suggested: "Boris is a brave chap to do something that his leading ladies are not thrilled about."
From the outside, his influence has often been understated - he is a long serving and important part of the PM's operation, with influence well beyond his official brief of running communications.
But the concern about increasing his power would be about extending the influence of the Vote Leave faction inside Number 10, rather than try to expand the range of advice, opinion, and experience in the machine.
One Cabinet minister sniped: "He is hardly Leo McGarry" - a reference to the fictional chief of staff figure in The West Wing, the US political drama that nearly everyone in SW1 is obsessed with.
Different factions
Guess what? None of the people involved will comment officially about what is going on. So I'm afraid that it is extremely difficult to know what is really happening.
One source even suggested to me that this had all blown up because Mr Cain was the source of the leak of the government's decision to lock down again, although that is flatly denied by Number 10 who are running a leak inquiry. Others have told me that he has been threatening to leave government in frustration at how things are being handled, and this was an effort to make him stay.
Whatever the truth, what actually matters about this is that it gives a flavour of an administration that's made up of different factions, vying for influence over the prime minister.
The government has certainly faced challenges of epic proportions, but it seems often there is a dysfunction in how it operates that consumes political energy which is needed to solve the public's problems.
The irony: a process designed in theory to bring order to Number 10, has created a disorder of its own.