Dominic Cummings will QUIT by Christmas after having ‘wings clipped’ by Boris Johnson

BREXIT guru Dominic Cummings will quit by Christmas after having his “wings clipped” by Boris Johnson.

The former Vote Leave boss confirmed his departure late last night – after losing a key ally in spin doctor Lee Cain.

It came after a day of intense speculation over his future in Downing Street.

A senior source had earlier said: “If he’s not gone by the end of the week, I doubt he will still be here next year.”

Meanwhile the PM’s team were accused of fighting “like rats in a sack” on the day it should have been responding to the highest number of Covid cases ever recorded.

Mr Johnson is now under pressure to bring in “someone with big boy pants” to get a grip of No10.

The turf war follows the dramatic resignation of his top PR man Mr Cain in a bitter power struggle between aides and his fiancé Carrie Symonds.

Mr Cain, who wanted more powers, was enraged by Allegra Stratton’s appointment to be the new face of No10 at daily White House style TV briefings.

A compromise idea of making Mr Cain the boss of all No10 staff sparked a backlash from senior female aides including Ms Stratton, backed by pal Ms Symonds.

Dominic Cummings threatened to walk out in – and some senior Tories say the PM should ease him on his way.

Sir Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, said that there had been “unhappiness” about the Downing Street operation for some time.

“Members of parliament have felt excluded from the decision-making process, and that’s no secret,” he added.

And Jake Berry, an old ally of Mr Johnson who leads a group of 50 Northern tory MPs, said: “As we go past that grim milestone of 50,000 deaths from this appalling disease, it’s high time that there was a bit of a change of guard in No 10.”

Sir Roger Gale MP warned: “A PM, particularly one facing the difficulties Mr Johnson is facing, needs heavyweight help. It really is time that Downing Street got in place somebody with big boy pants on.”

But fellow Brexiteer Jacob Rees Mogg leapt to Mr Cain’s defence saying: “May I just say what a fantastic public servant he has been, somebody instrumental in ensuring the Vote Leave campaign was successful and somebody who has made a huge contribution to this government.”

This morning No 10 declined to say whether he had formally handed in his notice, whether he had told Boris Johnson of his departure and whether an exit date had been set.

But they vehemently denied that his exit would soften the UK’s negotiating stance in post-Brexit trade negotiations with Brussels.

And Tory MPs urged a rethink in relations with the Parliamentary party.

Senior Tory backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s an opportunity to reset how the Government operates and to emphasise some values about what we want to project as a Conservative Party in Government.”

He said it is time to restore “respect, integrity and trust” which he said have been “lacking in recent months” between No 10 and Tory MPs.

“I’m not surprised in a way that it is ending in the way it is. No prime minister can afford a single adviser to become a running story, dominating his Government’s communications and crowding out the proper messages the Government wants to convey,” Sir Bernard said.

“Nobody is indispensable.”

 Theresa Villiers said Dominic Cummings’ departure from No 10 will be “a good opportunity for a fresh start”.

The former environment secretary told the PA news agency: “Clearly there are concerns about the dismissive attitude sometimes shown by Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings towards people in Government and MPs on the backbenches.

“And this is an opportunity to move on from that and to have a more collaborative approach.”

Last night Labour claimed Government infighting was hampering the fight against Covid.

A spokesman said: “Boris Johnson’s Government is fighting like rats in a sack over who gets what job. It is precisely this lack of focus and rank incompetence that has held Britain back.”