After a weekend of the Dominic Cummings affair, this is my take:

While DC and Boris were on sick leave a plot was hatched between the usual suspects in and outside the party, plus across the Channel, to sneak in that Brexit transition request.

DC and then Boris came back...

...People were spoken to, negotiations with the EU got back on track and the plot was derailed.
The plotters were fuming. The deadline for that request was looming and they had been humiliated.

So they leaked the story to attack DC and weaken Boris. And this is why Boris...

..reacted like he did. He knew it was a direct attack on his authority, and he had to take a strong line with his party in order to keep his whole agenda on track.
The problem is, the media were busily making sure he was losing the public’s goodwill by ramping up the whole...

..you think you’re better than us/the same rules don’t apply aspect. Even though the exemptions were out there re vulnerable people, being allowed to visit the very sick and dying etc (in fact someone I know was in this position and was able to see their mum as long as they...

..wore full PPE) and the opposition and media were so unconcerned about this apparent iniquity in how the rules were being applied they barely mentioned it until now.
But the point is, that’s how it looked.
So should DC therefore resign and take the heat out of the situation?..

I didn’t think so before, but maybe now? Will Boris be able to assert authority in his party and get his agenda back on track without him? I think so. He has good people around him. But clearly a few others need quietly dealing with too.

@BorisJohnson
@WestminsterWAG