Mr Cummings told The Sunday Times: “He wanted a secret deal in which I delivered the election and he promised to take the Government seriously after the election.
“But I’d rather the Tories lose than continue in office without prioritising what’s important and the voters.
“The post-2016 Tories are summed up by the fact that Sunak, like Johnson, would rather lose than take Government seriously. Both thought their MPs agreed with them, and both were right.”
He added: “I said I was only prepared to build a political machine to smash Labour and win the election if he would commit to No 10 truly prioritising the most critical things, like the scandal of nuclear weapons infrastructure, natural and engineered pandemics, the scandal of MoD procurement, AI and other technological capabilities, and the broken core government institutions which we started fixing in 2020 but Boris abandoned.”
The Sunday Times reported that Mr Cummings advised the Prime Minister to reverse Mr Johnson’s tax rises and to almost double the threshold at which people pay the 40p rate of income tax from £50,271 to £100,000.
The paper also reported that he had counselled the Prime Minister to settle the NHS strikes, launch a national effort to rebuild the health service in the spirit of the Vaccine Taskforce, and leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
The revelations about the meetings are likely to raise questions about Mr Sunak’s political judgement.
Mr Cummings is viewed by many Tory MPs as a formidable campaigner but is a divisive figure in the party and revelations are likely to raise questions about Mr Sunak’s political judgment.
The Labour party has been highly critical of Mr Cummings since his infamous drive to Barnard Castle during lockdown, which he said he made to test his eyesight.
‘Out of touch Rishi Sunak’
Responding to the news, Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: “Out of touch Rishi Sunak is asking the wrong question if he thinks the lockdown rule breaking architect of Boris Johnson’s failed premiership is the answer.
“After promising to restore integrity to Downing Street, he’s secretly begging Mr Barnard Castle to run Downing Street again. From Cameron to Cummings, the Prime Minister is admitting he’s out of ideas and too weak to come up with his own.
“No matter how desperate Rishi Sunak gets, the British people have had enough of Tory mortgage misery, tax increases and record waits in the NHS.
“Sunak’s reliance on the ghosts of Tory past proves only Labour can offer the change our country is crying out for.”
Mr Cummings has made no secret of his disdain for the Conservative Party and many of its MPs. In recent months he has blogged about his plans to replace the Tories with a new “startup party”.
In December, Sir Sajid Javid, the former chancellor, said that he had warned Mr Johnson that Mr Cummings was “not going to be content until he burns the house down”.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
