'FALLING LIKE DOMINOES'
Boris Johnson in fresh turmoil as Elena Narozanski becomes FIFTH aide to QUIT as Rishi Sunak sticks the knife in
BORIS Johnson was rocked by yet another resignation this morning as a fifth Downing St aide sensationally quit.
Elena Narozanski, who served in the No 10 Policy Unit, has reportedly left her role in another bitter blow to the PM's authority.
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News of her shock departure was broken by the Conservative Home website. No 10 has been approached for comment.
Ms Narozanski served as a special adviser to Boris on the rights of women and equalities.
She was a member of the Policy Unit run by the PM's close ally and friend Munira Mirza, who sensationally quit yesterday.
Ms Mirza stunned No 10 when she walked out with an astonishing broadside against the PM’s jibe that Sir Keir Starmer failed to lock up celeb paedo Savile.
Her shock exit sparked a flurry of resignations from Downing St last night.
Top spin doctor Jack Doyle quit hours later followed by senior civil servant Martin Reynolds — who earned the nickname Party Marty after inviting 100 staff to a lockdown breaking bash.
Around an hour later unpopular Downing Street Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfeld also fell on his sword.
And on an evening of high drama the PM was then publicly knifed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Cabinet ministers picking over the smouldering wreckage reckon there's only a 50/50 chance the PM will be able to cling on.
One told The Times: "It feels like the end. It’s all falling apart."
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Energy minister Greg Hands put a brave face on events this morning, insisting the departures were all part of a planned "shake up" of No 10.
He said: "We shouldn't be surprised there are changes overall. This shows the PM is in charge."
But he also repeatedly refused to answer whether he would have made the same remarks as his boss about Sir Keir.
Downing St will be braced for more resignations today as Boris battles to save his premiership in the wake of the lockdown-breaking scandal.
And there is also concern at the growing public rift between the PM and his Chancellor.
At a press conference last night Mr Sunak mocked Boris' partygate woes and slammed comments the PM made about Jimmy Savile.
Boris was plunged deeper into a leadership crisis just a day after saying he wanted another eight years in power.
In a double whammy that will trigger a weekend of speculation Mr Sunak is eyeing a move for the top job, the Chancellor breaks cover today to distance himself from the lockdown breaking scandal dogging No10.
Writing in The Sun he hit out at the row engulfing the PM about boozy bashes that are currently being probed by cops.
He says: “We’ve always been the party of sound money, we’ll always continue to be on my watch, and that’s the only kind of party I’m interested in.”
And yesterday he publicly stated that he would not have made the controversial claims that Sir Keir Starmer “failed” over Savile when he was the UK’s top prosecutor.
On Thursday afternoon longtime BoJo aide Munira Mirza quit No10 after begging the PM to apologise for the "inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse".
Leaking her bombshell resignation letter she said: "You are a better man than many of your detractors will ever understand which is why it is so desperately sad that you let yourself down by making a scurrilous accusation against the Leader of the Opposition."
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Mr Johnson hit back tonight saying he did not agree but was sorry to see her go.
He told Channel 5: “All that I’ve said is that the leader of the opposition apologised for the CPS’s handling of that issue during his tenure and that’s all frankly that needs to be said on that matter.”
But her departure brought forward a slew of resignations from other top staff after discussion with the PM over their future.
Lavishing praise on departed Ms Mirza, Mr Sunak said: "I am sorry to see her leave government, I will miss working with her.
"And with regard to the comments, being honest, I wouldn't have said it and I'm glad the PM had clarified what he meant."
And he heaped pressure on the PM to say sorry for the remarks, suggesting it was "for the prime minister to decide” to do so.
Dominic Cummings, the former chief aide to No 10 who is agitating for the Prime Minister's removal, said her resignation was an "unmistakable signal the bunker is collapsing", adding that the "PM is finished".
He added in a call to Tory MPs: "Now's your moment, find a flicker of moral courage and push what is falling."
But Sunak’s own number two at the treasury Simon Clarke defended the PM, telling Newsnight: “I have the highest regard for the Chancellor...but it is my view that it was a perfectly reasonable remark for the PM to have made”.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Quizzed on his ambitions yesterday, the Chancellor told the BBC it's "very kind" of colleagues to put him forward but insisted there was no vacancy
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