Dominic Cummings won’t blink over no deal. But will Boris Johnson?

On the day Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, I said his most important appointment was that of Dominic Cummings – who had run the triumphant pro-Brexit, Vote Leave referendum campaign – as his most senior government adviser.

It signalled Johnson was not bluffing when he pledged to extract the UK from the EU do or die, no ifs no buts, deal or no deal – because there are few political operators on the planet more ruthless, focused and remorseless than Cummings. I imagine he has OODA tattooed on his bottom (look it up).

There has however been a bit of a misunderstanding about precisely what Cummings agreed to do for Johnson and for how long. So here are the terms of their compact.

When on the evening of Sunday 21 July, Johnson formally offered Cummings the position of senior consigliere – an offer that was not quite out of the blue, but which Cummings had not really been expecting – Cummings took on the job as largely a single short-term project, to deliver Brexit by the due date.