WeekWatch for 26th May 2020
Balina Rai (Dhesi)
Wealth Management Consultant at Lawrence Neil Wealth Management Limited
In 1988, Durham Chess Club saw two teenagers compete for the Championship title. The match saw Michael Ayton defeat his opponent – a young Dominic Cummings.
It’s unsurprising that Cummings, who masterminded the Vote Leave and 2019 General Election campaigns, is a chess player. He has made his name as a strategist whose successful campaigns have changed the course of this country’s future. But, over the long weekend, Cummings found himself in something of a political stalemate, as calls mounted for his resignation after he made a series of dubious moves during lockdown. Bishops across England joined the chorus of criticism on Monday after the Prime Minister stood by his adviser, who later defended his actions at a Downing Street press conference.
With lockdown measures due to be relaxed further in the coming weeks, reciprocal trust between the government and the public is critical in preventing a second wave and allowing the economy to reopen. Whether Boris Johnson’s decision to defend his adviser keeps that trust intact remains to be seen.