The mystery of Dan Rosenfield’s wardrobe

It’s polling day today and voters will be giving their verdicts on Boris Johnson’s leadership. It’s the PM’s first test post-Partygate so what better time to reflect on the man in charge when that whole saga blew up? Dan Rosenfield was one of four men to serve as Johnson’s effective chief of staff in No. 10, having taken up the post in January 2021 before leaving a mere 13 months later. The former Treasury mandarin had a fairly torrid time in Downing Street, being the victim of the near-incessant briefing wars that have characterised so much of Johnson’s time in office. 

Shortly before his abrupt departure in February, Rosenfield was accused of presiding over an ‘overbearing’ culture that allegedly contributed to the departures of six women from the No. 10 office towards the end of 2021. The Sunday Times reported Rosenfield made the women ‘buy sandwiches for his lunch, collect his drycleaning and buy presents’ and accused him of exhibiting a ‘culture of entitlement’ over his office.