Former Treasury Civil Servant Becomes Downing Street Chief Of Staff

Media reporting that Dan Rosenfield, a former BoA employee, Treasury civil servant and principal private secretary to Chancellors of the Exchequer Alistair Darling and George Osborne from 2007 to 2011, has been appointed as the 10. Downing Street chief of staff, a newly-created position.

• The furore over the initial invitation, then withdrawal of said invitation, for Comms Director Lee Cain to be the CoS saw Cain and senior adviser to the PM Dominic Cummings leave their positions earlier in the month.
• The departure of Cummings and Cain (two key figures in the organisation and management of the Leave campaign in the 2016 EU membership referendum) has led to speculation of a major change in direction for gov't policy and working practices, with a potential Cabinet reshuffle in the offing.
• Rosenfield to start as chief of staff on Dec 7, and to be followed on Jan 11 by Allegra Stratton in another newly-created position, the Downing Street press secretary. Stratton, a former ITV journalist, will deliver frequent press conferences akin to those seen in the White House.
• Cummings and Cain seen as combative and divisive figures, but key in creating a strategy that won over voters in the north of England in the 2019 GE. There has been media attention on the potential for a shift towards a more liberal, 'one nation' Conservative policy direction with Cummings and Cain gone, especially given PM Boris Johnson's espousal of more socially liberal policies during his time as Mayor of London from 2008-16.