Turbulence in Downing Street as another Vote Leave aide departs

Boris Johnson has lost a longstanding aide from 10 Downing Street this evening with Oliver Lewis quitting as head of the Union unit. Lewis had only been appointed to the job two weeks ago having previously worked on the Brexit negotiations. His resignation comes after a week of bubbling tensions in No. 10 over recent personnel changes. 

Last Friday, Johnson announced that Simone Finn would be his deputy chief of staff and former Michael Gove aide Henry Newman his new senior adviser. These appointments were the first significant moves since Dan Rosenfield was named chief of staff in the wake of Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain’s departure. The Vote Leave duo left their roles late last year following a rather public turf war that involved the Prime Minister’s partner Carrie Symonds.

Rosenfield’s appointment in November as chief of staff was widely read as a sign that Johnson was moving past previous factional infighting by appointing a neutral figure. However, the appointment of Finn and Newman last week reopened old wounds. The