MEANWHILE IN DOWNING STREET
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 6:18 am
Brexit confessional: Journo request of the day comes via Mashable’s Rachel Thompson. “Bit of an unusual one, but here goes,” she tweeted. “Has Brexit affected your sex life in some way? Are you feeling less in the mood for it? Have you made a decision to only sleep with Leavers/Remainers? Are you and your partner having less sex as a result of it?” The comments underneath are worth a look … though none are from actual MPs as yet, thankfully.
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HOME SWEET HOME: Multiple papers report this morning that Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds finally moved into Downing Street yesterday, and that like the past few prime ministers will live in the flat above No. 11 where there’s a little more space than next door. The Daily Mail’s Jack Doyle reports that Symonds is receiving advice phone number library from her “friend” Samantha Cameron, the wife of former PM David, on how to survive life in Downing Street. The paper also reports Symonds will next month make her first public speaking appearance since her relationship with Johnson was revealed — at a birdwatching conference in the east Midlands. You’d imagine “Birdfair 2019” will receive a *little* more public attention than last year’s event. The Sun reckons the £120 Ghost dress Symonds wore in Downing Street the day Johnson was appointed PM is now selling at double and treble the price.
Inside No. 10: In a scoop-packed column on the government’s preparations for Brexit, the Times’ Francis Elliott notes that Johnson’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings has taken the seat in side No. 10 closest to the PM’s office door — traditionally used by the chief of staff. Eddie Lister, Johnson’s other senior adviser, sits in what used to be the deputy’s seat. Believe it or not, this stuff actually matters, and appears to confirm what other Whitehall sources have been telling Playbook about the real chain of command. “Of course Dom is running the show,” one says. “He’s chief of staff in all but name.”
**POLITICO Pro’s brand-new newsletter, Cyber Insights, launches September. A daily download on everything from 5G security, cyber espionage and state hackers to Europe’s growing eagerness to lead the global debate on cybersecurity standards. Register here to receive the first complimentary launch editions.**
HOME SWEET HOME: Multiple papers report this morning that Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds finally moved into Downing Street yesterday, and that like the past few prime ministers will live in the flat above No. 11 where there’s a little more space than next door. The Daily Mail’s Jack Doyle reports that Symonds is receiving advice phone number library from her “friend” Samantha Cameron, the wife of former PM David, on how to survive life in Downing Street. The paper also reports Symonds will next month make her first public speaking appearance since her relationship with Johnson was revealed — at a birdwatching conference in the east Midlands. You’d imagine “Birdfair 2019” will receive a *little* more public attention than last year’s event. The Sun reckons the £120 Ghost dress Symonds wore in Downing Street the day Johnson was appointed PM is now selling at double and treble the price.
Inside No. 10: In a scoop-packed column on the government’s preparations for Brexit, the Times’ Francis Elliott notes that Johnson’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings has taken the seat in side No. 10 closest to the PM’s office door — traditionally used by the chief of staff. Eddie Lister, Johnson’s other senior adviser, sits in what used to be the deputy’s seat. Believe it or not, this stuff actually matters, and appears to confirm what other Whitehall sources have been telling Playbook about the real chain of command. “Of course Dom is running the show,” one says. “He’s chief of staff in all but name.”