Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings eye Whitehall overhaul
A newly emboldened Prime Minister is expected to be planning a major shake-up of Whitehall, overturning many of the reforms brought in by Theresa May and cutting back on the number of government departments.
Boris Johnson is understood to be looking at scrapping the Department for International Development (DfID), long seen by the Tory right as an unnecessary department in its own right. As reported by City A.M. during the election campaign, Johnson is expected to soon unveil plans to roll its aid functions into the Foreign Office.
He is also expected to abolish some of the departments set up by his predecessor, including the Department for Exiting the EU (DexEU), whose responsibilities will be brought under Michael Gove at the Cabinet Office.
The Department for International Trade is also expected to be culled, with its work absorbed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The overhaul is thought to be being driven by Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings who has previously called for a revolution in Whitehall. Cummings is also thought to be eyeing the BBC, with a review of whether to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee planned.
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