Boris Johnson’s ex chief of staff is plotting a startup political party to take on the Conservatives in the election after next.

Dominic Cummings has said it is “time to build a startup” to “replace the rotten Tories and win in 2028”.

But a Tory critic dismissed the plan, telling The Times it was “yet more mad ramblings from a narcissistic egomaniac who is thankfully becoming increasingly irrelevant”.

Mr Cummings, who was Mr Johnson’s most senior advisor, said Rishi Sunak is the hardest-working MP with the highest IQ, but has “no grip of power, no governing plan, no message and no political strategy worth spit”.

Writing for subscribers to his blog, Mr Cummings said he is already receiving messages from MPs and donors asking how to rebuild the party.

“This is the time to start building the replacement so that from 2200 on election night in October-December 2024 the old Party is buried and a new set of people with new ideas start talking to the country and can take over in 2028 and give voters the sort of government they want and deserve,” Mr Cummings said.

His agenda is similar to the agenda he wanted to pursue in Downing Street with Mr Johnson, being “tougher” on crime, security and immigration and pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It would also freeze or cut taxes for working people, reduce the size of the state and close tax loopholes which benefit the wealthy.

  • frog 🐸@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    1 year ago

    I wasn’t sure how Cummings’ idea differed from all the other “mad ramblings from a narcissistic egomaniac” we’ve seen from the Tories lately. And then I read this:

    The goal is to win in 2028, govern for two terms and then self-destruct as a legal entity, so the project is credibly hardwired to be fundamentally different to a normal party

    I’m really struggling to see what’s not “mad” about creating a party that is designed to self-destruct after two terms. Unless it’s merely an acknowledgement of reality that every party is fighting like cats in a sack after 10 years of government, and since it’s going to happen anyway, might as well plan for it?

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      I think the idea is: get in, re-engineer things for their rich mates without having to worry about future electability and then disappear job done. Not sure how that’s too different from current Tory policies other than he wants to implement the plan with more competence.

      • frog 🐸@beehaw.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Which makes it extra weird that one of his stated goals is closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and lowering taxes for workers. Maybe his rich mates rely more on employment income than offshore tax havens.

        Maybe the end goal is authoritarian dictatorship. Don’t need a party anymore if you’re going to do away with that pesky election business.

        • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Cutting taxes for “workers” will give the most money to those earning the highest wages.

          Closing tax loopholes is one that is paid lip service to buy nothing is ever done about it. Perhaps it’ll address non dom status to target foreign billionaires?

          Maybe his rich mates rely more on employment income than offshore tax havens.

          Pretty much and there’s no mention of touching wealth either which they have plenty of.

          • frog 🐸@beehaw.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            Yep. I don’t believe for a moment that his new party would actually be good for anyone but the wealthiest. Certainly not going to vote for them!