UK PM Johnson appoints Steve Barclay as chief of staff

Boris Johnson’s Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfield and his Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds resigned on Thursday

By Agencies

Published: Sat 5 Feb 2022, 10:22 PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday appointed minister Steve Barclay as his new chief of staff.

“He will become the Prime Minister’s new chief of staff, working directly with cabinet colleagues to ensure the prime minister’s levelling up agenda is driven forward and delivered at maximum speed,” Downing Street said in a statement.

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Boris Johnson’s Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfield and his Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds resigned on Thursday over a barb he made about the main opposition leader.

Johnson accused Labour Party leader Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile, one of Britain’s worst sex offenders, during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions.

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The false claim, which Starmer said amounted to Johnson “parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists”, has angered not only opponents but also some within his own party.

Johnson has declined to apologise but did back down from the comments on Thursday. However, it was not enough to stop Munir Mirza, his head of policy who had worked with him for 14 years, to quit her job and also provoked criticism from finance minister Rishi Sunak.

Asked whether the prime minister should have apologised, Sunak, considered the leading contender to replace Johnson should he be forced out, said: “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it, and I am glad the prime minister clarified what he said.”