Tory peer demands Dominic Cummings is stripped of Westminster pass over ‘contempt’ of Parliament
- No10 strategist Dominic Cummings facing calls to be stripped of Commons pass
- Tory peer says aide should not get access after contempt of Parliament finding
- Mr Cummings has stoked controversy since being appointed by Boris Johnson
Maverick No10 chief Dominic Cummings is today facing demands for Parliamentary authorities to strip him of his Westminster pass.
Tory peer Lord Hayward said it was ‘inappropriate’ for Boris Johnson’s key strategist to have privileged access to the estate given he had previously been found in ‘contempt’ of the Houses.
He called for an urgent review into the situation and for the pass to be removed.
Mr Cummings was found in contempt of Parliament in March after refusing to give evidence to the Culture Committee’s investigation into alleged spreading of false news stories during the 2016 referendum campaign.
The committee’s chairman Damian Collins said the former Vote Leave campaign chief had shown a ‘total disregard’ for the House’s authority, but the only punishment he faced was a public rebuke.
In a letter to the Speakers of both Houses today, Lord Hayward urged them to reconsider Mr Cummings’ pass privileges.
‘This pass, I believe, was provided on the basis of being normal procedure for Special Advisers at Number 10,’ he said.
Maverick No10 chief Dominic Cummings (pictured in Downing Street today) is facing demands for Parliamentary authorities to strip him of his Westminster pass
Mr Cummings, pictured centre, on the Parliamentary estate with the Prime Minister last week
‘Could you please confirm how many other people have been judged similarly to have been in contempt in the last 12 months and if any action has been taken.
‘To most people I am sure it would seem inappropriate to issue a pass to someone when they have been found, only a few weeks earlier, to be in contempt of our procedures. A pass which gives them rights to move freely about and use the facilities of the Palace.
‘I would ask therefore that this be reviewed as a matter of urgency and, if appropriate, that the pass is withdrawn until the contempt is purged.
Since being drafted in to No10, Mr Cummings has become an intensely divisive figure, with claims of widening splits as Mr Johnson ignores more moderate long-term aides.
The 47-year-old has faced a furious backlash for orchestrating the government’s hardline approach on Brexit, with calls for him to be axed in the wake of the shock Supreme Court defeat and strong rhetoric against Remainer MPs.
There was also an outcry after he summarily sacked one of Sajid Javid’s advisers for being in contact with Remainers, and had her frogmarched out of No10.
However, Mr Cummings also inspires intense loyalty among many colleagues and has been given licence to operate freely by the PM.
He fuelled the row last week by speaking publicly about the Brexit standoff, saying MPs should not be ‘surprised’ at public fury.
Since being drafted in to No10, Mr Cummings has become an intensely divisive figure, with claims of widening splits as Boris Johnson (pictured at Tory conference yesterday) ignores more moderate long-term aides
‘The MPs said we will have a referendum, we will respect the result and then they spent three years swerving all over the shop,’ he said.
Lifting the curtain on what it is like working with Mr Cummings at the heart of government this week, one Cabinet minister told MailOnline: ‘In meetings, it’s a lot like having a small child in the corner – ”Why? Why? Why?”
‘Things we all take for granted, he wants to take to pieces and start again.
‘He’s not in the bubble like the rest of us, he doesn’t know anyone – like an ordinary person.
‘I suppose it’s a good thing in many ways. You look at things with fresh eyes. He is always very polite, doesn’t interrupt and then just makes his point.
‘There’s no shouting or anything.’
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