Dominic Cummings has accused the prime minister of shaming senior cabinet ministers over their alleged drug use rather than seriously dealing with the crisis in his latest attack on the government.
In an article about Afghanistan and a tweet related to the so-called War on Drugs, Boris Johnson’s former top aide drew comparisons to Downing Street. Meetings on Drugs Policy for the satirical Channel 4 series Brass Eye.
He tweeted, ‘(Some mtngs (sic) I was more brased than ever to hear the Home Office plans for a ‘crackdown’ and ‘marketing campaign’ in No.10 + BJ’s own drug use But wishing to embarrass my cabinet),’ he tweeted.
Brass Eye, a television parody that aired in 1997, sparked controversy by portraying the growing paranoia of life in modern Britain and fooling public figures into supporting bogus charities and causes.
In an episode titled Drugs, MP Sir David Ames was tricked into supporting an awareness campaign around a fictional killer drug from Prague called Keck, or ‘Check Neck’. It was canceled after just one series.
Mr Cummings offered no evidence for his incendiary allegations. His tweet on Wednesday morning is the latest in a series of attacks on the government after he was dramatically sacked last year.
MailOnline has contacted Downing Street for comment.
The senior Tories have previously come under fire for their past drug use. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove previously admitted that he had used cocaine when he was a young journalist working for The Times.
Dominic Cummings has accused the prime minister of shaming senior conservatives in cabinet over his alleged drug use rather than tackling the issue seriously.
In an article about Afghanistan and a tweet related to the so-called War on Drugs, Boris Johnson’s ex-top aide compared the Downing Street meetings to the satirical TV drama Brass on drugs policy.
‘(Some mtngs (sic) I had more bras than I ever heard of Home Office plans for ‘crackdown’ and ‘marketing campaign’ in No. 10 + BJ’s own cabinet on drug use Willing to embarrass you),’ he tweeted.
In 2019, Mr Gove told the Mail that he took the drugs on several social occasions more than two decades ago, calling it ‘a mistake’.
‘I took drugs on several occasions at social events more than 20 years ago. At that time I was a young journalist. That was a mistake. I look back and think, I wish I hadn’t done that,’ he said.
He made his admission before the publication of a book about him by political journalist Owen Bennett.
The book – Michael Gove: A Man in a Hurry – says that the former environment secretary owned up to using cocaine when he was being put ‘through his paces’ by advisers in the 2016 Tory leadership competition.
The shocking revelation came as he and his associates were trying to anticipate what questions they would face from the media.
An insider said Mr Gove said ‘yes, cocaine’ when asked if he had ever taken drugs.
The book states, ‘Gov was instructed not to answer this publicly, and was asked to fall back on the words used by David Cameron when he was running for leader, namely Politicians are entitled to a private life before entering politics,’ the book says.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove previously admitted to using cocaine when he was a young journalist working for The Times
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab previously said he consumed cannabis as a student, adding that he did not take anything hard
Mr Gove was never asked questions in the incident. Despite Mr Johnson being forced out of the competition, Mr Gove withdrew after losing to Theresa May in the second round.
The drugs were revealed on the eve of the first round in the Tory leadership’s ballot of lawmakers and meant that senior Tories battling to succeed Mrs May two years earlier were told of her past drug use.
Mr Johnson joked that he may have smelled icing sugar on Have I Got News for You in 2005.
He later told GQ magazine in 2007: ‘I tried it at university and I remember it clearly. And it has not achieved any medicinal, psychosomatic or any other effect on me.’
Asked about those previous comments in a 2008 interview when he stood for mayor of London, Mr Johnson said: ‘Well, that was when I was 19. All this shows that, sometimes, it is better to say nothing.’
After that interview, Mr Johnson later said: ‘To say that I have taken cocaine is absolutely untrue.’
He continued: ‘As I have said many times, I was once offered a white substance at university, none of which went to my nose and I don’t know if it was cocaine or not.’
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has previously said that he consumed cannabis as a student, adding that he did not take anything too hard.
He said: ‘At university, I tried cannabis, not as often as I was in sports. It was a mistake, especially now that I know more about the link between it and mental health issues.
‘But that was a long time ago and especially few and far between and I’ve never taken cocaine or any class A drugs.’
A source close to former Health Secretary Matt Hancock told The Telegraph in 2019 that he ‘tried cannabis several times as a student, but hasn’t taken any illegal drugs since Oxford.
Chancellor Sajid Javid says he has not used drugs, and has criticized those taking Class A substances.
He told Sky News: ‘Anyone who takes Class A drugs needs to think about that supply chain, let’s say, from Colombia to Chelsea, and the number of lives being destroyed along the way.’
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted that he would have drunk cannabis lassi while backpacking in India in his youth.
Former International Development Secretary, Rory Stewart, said he smoked opium while traveling in the region more than 15 years ago at a wedding in Iran, and apologized for taking the drug.
Former Tory leader Lord Hague recently called on Britain to free drugs from crime and treat drug use as a health problem, claiming: ‘As long as demand continues, we will limit the supply of drugs. Will never press.
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