Tory MPs fear the prime minister stands to lose far more than his opponent in a public row over leaks
Boris Johnson once cited his favourite movie scene as the multiple retribution killings at the end of The Godfather. But it’s a line from the film’s sequel that best explains the events that have led to the row between the prime minister and his former adviser Dominic Cummings that is currently engulfing Downing Street: “Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.”
On Thursday, Downing Street briefed several newspapers that Johnson believed his one-time right-hand man had been behind a number of damaging government leaks. These leaks were wide-ranging – from the recent publication of messages between Johnson and James Dyson over ventilators, to the leaked news of England’s second lockdown, when Johnson was forced to bring forward plans for a circuit breaker.
