LONDON Prime Minister Boris Johnsons defense of the seemingly indefensible his refusal to sack top aide Dominic Cummings after he traveled during lockdown has left many people asking one question.
Why is a newly elected prime minister with an 80-seat majority, who is beginning to turn the tide on coronavirus , burning through so much political capital to save one senior adviser?
Cummings has helped deliver victory after improbable victory for Johnson from winning the referendum on European Union membership with Vote Leave to surviving half a year of chaotic minority government before delivering a thumping election win and getting Brexit done.
But now the prime minister is facing open revolt from members of Parliament, with one even suggesting he should leave Downing Street himself if he needs a svengali to tell him what to say.
And insiders question whether Cummings, seen as one of those political figures who gets voters concerns, has in fact now lost it amid an extraordinary political backlash and tanking poll ratings.
Either way, Johnson is sticking by Cummings for now, perhaps in a belief that their fates are intertwined.
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Heres why that might be.
Hes a winner
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