Mr Cummings launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister and accused him of lacking “competence and integrity”. The former aide made the claims in a 1,000 word blog post in which he claimed he was setting the record straight over allegations he was the source of a number of Downing Street leaks. He hit back after Downing Street sources blamed him for leaking exchanges made between Mr Johnson and businessman Sir James Dyson.
The messages, sent in March 2020, came after the Government asked companies to help build thousands of ventilators needed in the fight against COVID-19.
The text exchange revealed the Prime Minister promised Sir James he would “fix” a tax issue for his Singapore-based staff if they moved to the UK to do this.
Mr Cummings strenuously denied being the source of the leaked text messages.
But an exclusive Express.co.uk poll found people were more likely to believe Mr Johnson than his former adviser who abruptly left Number 10 towards the end of last year.
Nearly two-thirds (62 percent or 4,960 people) of people voting backed Mr Johnson in the row over the Downing Street leaks.
Just 36 percent (2,672 people) said they backed Dominic Cummings and two percent (190 people) said they didn’t know.
A total of of 7,822 people took part in the online survey which ran between 10.30am and 9.30pm on Saturday April 24 2021.
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One reader said: “I think Cummings is still stewing over being sacked. It’s sour grapes. He thinks ‘How can I stir up more trouble for the PM who sacked me?’.”
Another said: “Cummings is acting like a spoilt brat!
“The people who stood by him he kicks in the teeth!
“Of course Labour love it. They seem to forget all their own party has done, controlled by highly-paid union barons!”
Another said: “Getting us out of the EU as promised makes him bulletproof in my book – no one else was going to do it.
“I don’t really care who paid for the refurbishment of his flat.
“I would guess all politicians from all parties have taken advantage of their positions in some form or other.”
But another reader said: “I would rather have Dominic Cummings as PM than Johnson.
“At least he would get things done properly, from scrapping the BBC licence fee to ridding us of the House of Lords and kicking the civil service into shape.
“Not to mention a proper Brexit and putting the EU in its place!”
“I told him that this was ‘mad’ and totally unethical, that he had ordered the inquiry himself and authorised the Cabinet Secretary to use more invasive powers than are usually applied to leak inquiries because of the seriousness of the leak.
“I told him that he could not possibly cancel an inquiry about a leak that affected millions of people, just because it might implicate his girlfriend’s friends.”
Mr Johnson has denied the allegations saying the public did not “give a monkey’s” about such matters.
