Dominic Cummings facts for kids

Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist. He worked as a top adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He held this role from July 2019 until he left in November 2020.

Before working for the Prime Minister, he was a special adviser to Michael Gove. This was when Gove was the Education Secretary, from 2007 to 2014. From 2015 to 2016, Cummings was the director of Vote Leave. This group led the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union (known as Brexit).

In May 2020, a public discussion happened involving Cummings. This was after reports that he traveled to his parents' farm in Durham during COVID-19 lockdowns. He was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms at the time. Many people, including some politicians, called for him to resign. Prime Minister Johnson supported Cummings, saying he acted "responsibly, legally and with integrity." Durham police later said they did not believe he broke the law by traveling to Durham. However, they noted a small rule might have been broken when he drove to Barnard Castle. This event made some people trust the government's pandemic response less.

Since leaving his role in November 2020, Cummings has spoken out. He has criticized the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and Johnson's leadership.

Early Life and Education

Dominic Cummings was born in Durham on 25 November 1971. His father, Robert, was an oil rig project manager and later a farmer. His mother, Morag, became a teacher. His uncle was Sir John Laws, a well-known judge.

Cummings went to a private school called Durham School. He then studied Ancient and Modern History at Exeter College, Oxford, graduating in 1994. One of his old teachers described him as "fizzing with ideas." After university, he lived in Russia until 1997. He tried to help set up an airline there, but it was not successful.

Political Beginnings

From 1999 to 2002, Cummings worked for "Business for Sterling." This group was against the UK joining the euro currency. He then became a strategy director for Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith in 2002. He aimed to make the party more modern but left after eight months. He felt Duncan Smith was "incompetent."

In 2003, Cummings started a group called the New Frontiers Foundation. This group believed in free markets and was against closer ties with the European Union. They published ideas about how Britain should be run. The group closed in 2005.

Cummings also played a key role in a successful campaign in 2004. This campaign, called "North East Says No," was against creating a new regional government in North East England. He used simple, direct methods, like arguing that the money for the assembly could go to the NHS.

Adviser to Michael Gove

From 2007 to 2014, Cummings worked for Conservative politician Michael Gove. He was a special adviser and Chief of Staff to Gove at the Department for Education. He was known for being very direct and not afraid to challenge people.

Cummings and Gove often disagreed with civil servants and teachers. They called this group "the blob." They believed this group tried to stop their plans for education reform. Cummings also spoke openly about other politicians. He once called Nick Clegg's ideas for free school meals "dreamed up on the back of a cigarette packet."

In 2012, a female civil servant received money in a case against Cummings. This was related to a bullying complaint. Also, during his time at the Department for Education, Cummings used private email accounts for government work. He received a warning for this.

In 2014, Cummings left his job as a special adviser. He had previously volunteered and worked for a charity that helps set up free schools.

Campaigning to Leave the European Union

In October 2015, Cummings became the campaign director for Vote Leave. This group wanted the UK to leave the European Union. He is known for creating the campaign's main slogan, "Take back control." He also promoted the idea that leaving the EU could free up £350 million a week for the NHS.

His strategy focused on talking about immigration and business. The referendum in June 2016 resulted in 51.9% of people voting to leave the European Union. Cummings was praised as one of the main people behind the successful campaign.

In March 2019, a parliamentary committee recommended that Cummings be criticized. This was because he did not appear before them to answer questions about false news during the referendum campaign.

Chief Adviser to Boris Johnson

On 24 July 2019, Dominic Cummings became a senior adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He was seen as a very powerful figure in Downing Street.

When he was appointed, some reports mentioned his past comments. For example, he had said that many people felt the Conservative Party "don't care about people like me." He also said that "Tory MPs largely do not care about these poorer people."

Cummings was also criticized when it was reported that a farm he partly owned received money from EU farming payments. He had previously called such payments "absurd."

Working with the Treasury

In August 2019, Cummings dismissed Sonia Khan, an adviser to the Treasury. He did this without the knowledge of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid. Reports said Cummings believed Khan had been dishonest. An armed officer was asked to escort Khan from the building. This led to criticism, with some saying it was an abuse of power. Khan later reached a financial agreement in a case about unfair dismissal.

Javid was upset about Khan's dismissal. In February 2020, Javid resigned as Chancellor. This happened after Prime Minister Johnson told him he could only keep his job if he fired all his advisers. These advisers would then be replaced by people chosen by Cummings. Javid said that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms."

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

In March 2020, it was reported that Cummings had discussed a strategy for COVID-19. This strategy was described as "herd immunity, protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad." Downing Street strongly denied this report, calling it "a highly defamatory fabrication."

Cummings attended meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). This group advises the government on its COVID-19 response. Some participants said Cummings pushed for a faster lockdown, including closing pubs and restaurants quickly.

The Durham Trip

In May 2020, news reports said that Cummings had traveled to Durham during the COVID-19 lockdown. He was experiencing symptoms of the virus at the time. The government had told people to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary.

On 25 May, Cummings held a press conference. He explained that his wife felt ill on 27 March, and they worried about who would care for their four-year-old son if they both became too sick. He said he drove to a house on his parents' farm in Durham, about 264 miles from London. He believed this trip was allowed for childcare reasons.

He said he woke up with clear COVID-19 symptoms on 28 March. On 2 April, his son became ill and was taken to hospital. Cummings said he was too sick to go. On 12 April, he felt well enough to return to London. He also mentioned driving to Barnard Castle (30 miles away) on Easter Day. He said this was to check if his eyesight was okay for the long drive back to London.

Many people, including the media and the public, were doubtful about his explanation. A YouGov poll found that 71% of the public thought Cummings had broken the lockdown rules. Many Conservative politicians also criticized him. Durham Police later said they did not think he broke the law by traveling to Durham. However, they noted a small rule might have been broken during the trip to Barnard Castle. They decided not to take action.

This event, sometimes called the "Cummings effect," negatively affected public trust in the government's pandemic advice.

Leaving Downing Street

On 13 November 2020, the BBC reported that Cummings was expected to leave Downing Street by the end of the year. This followed the departure of his close colleague, Lee Cain. Cummings stated that he had planned to make his role "largely redundant" by the end of 2020 anyway.

He was photographed leaving Number 10 with a box. Reports said Prime Minister Johnson had told him to leave.

Views on Government Response to COVID-19

On 26 May 2021, Cummings spoke for seven hours to parliamentary committees. He discussed the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He apologized, saying officials, including himself, "disastrously fell short" of public expectations. He stated that the "government failed."

Cummings criticized government leaders. He said that Health Secretary Matt Hancock should have been fired for lying. He also said that frontline workers were "lions led by donkeys." He claimed that Boris Johnson was not the right person to lead the UK through the pandemic.

He also said that Johnson disagreed with the first national lockdown. Cummings claimed he heard Johnson say he would rather see "bodies pile high" than have a third lockdown, which Johnson denied.

Political Ideas

Cummings has said his political views are "not Tory (Conservative), libertarian, 'populist' or anything else." In 2016, before the Brexit vote, he said that "extremists are on the rise in Europe." He believed that the European Union project was making this worse. He thought Britain should show an example of "civilised, democratic, liberal self-government."

He has often criticized a political system that focuses too much on London. He believes it has ignored the concerns of many voters, especially in Northern England.

Cummings has stated he has never been a member of a political party. He has also criticized some groups within the Conservative Party.

Personal Life

In December 2011, Dominic Cummings married Mary Wakefield. She is a journalist who has worked for The Spectator magazine for many years. Her father is Sir Humphry Wakefield.

In 2016, they had a son named Cedd.

Cummings is said to be very interested in historical figures and thinkers. These include Otto von Bismarck, a German statesman, and Richard Feynman, a famous physicist. He is also interested in Russian culture and speaks Russian.

See also

In Spanish: Dominic Cummings para niños