Downing Street exodus continues at pace

It never rains but it pours. On Thursday night it wasn’t just Munira Mirza and Jack Doyle exiting the building. Both Dan Rosenfield, Boris Johnson’s chief of staff, and Martin Reynolds, his principal private secretary are leaving their jobs. Officials in No. 10 have just been told, with Steerpike’s sources telling him that the mood inside the building tonight is ‘dire.’ Both men offered the PM their resignations. A No. 10 spokesman said that Johnson:

‘Has thanked them both for their significant contribution to government and No. 10, including work on the pandemic response and economic recovery. They will continue in their roles while successors are appointed, and recruitment for both posts is underway.’

It is not yet clear if the resignations were timed to coincide with Johnson’s long-awaited clear out of No. 10 or whether the PM’s hand has been forced by recent events. Reynolds, of course, was the official who sent the infamous 20 May 2020 email to the ‘bring your own booze’ party while Rosenfield has been the subject of some vicious briefings in recent weeks.