Boris Johnson has reportedly suffered the resignation of a fifth aide from his No 10 operation following an evening of turmoil at the top of government.
According to Conservative Home, Elena Narozanski, a former adviser to the cabinet minister Michael Gove and Theresa May during her tenure as home secretary, quit her role in the Downing Street policy unit.
It comes after Mr Johnson was dealt a severe blow on Thursday, with his longstanding ally and head of policy, Munira Mirza, handing in her resignation in protest at his “scurrilous” smear against Sir Keir Starmer.
In her stinging letter to the prime minister, she said there was “no fair or reasonable basis” for his attack on the Labour leader, after he attempted to link Sir Keir to the failure to prosecute the paedophile Jimmy Savile.
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak – tipped as Mr Johnson’s most likely successor if he is forced from office – distanced himself from the PM, telling reporters: “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it.”
Ms Mirza’s departure was followed by the resignations of the No 10 director of communications, the prime minister’s chief-of-staff, and his principal private secretary amid the fallout from parties held during Covid restrictions.
Reports of Ms Narozanski’s resignation came just moments after a government minister attempted to claim the exodus of key advisers demonstrated Mr Johnson was “taking charge” of his faltering Downing Street operation.
Downplaying the resignations, Greg Hands, the energy ministers, said the prime minister had promised MPs “there would be changes” at the top of government during a Commons statement on Monday.
“Resignations have been made, resignations have been accepted,” he said. “This is about the prime minister saying the Sue Gray report update said their were failings at the top of the operation. This is the prime minister taking charge”.
However, Nikki da Costa, who previously worked in Mr Johnson’s administration as director of legislative affairs, posted on social media: “It has been said that the 4 departures from Number 10 is ‘taking charge’.
“First, the clear signs are that this has not happened in a controlled fashion, and was brought forward by Munira’s principled resignation”.
