One of Carrie Johnson’s ‘favourite people’ leaves PM’s top team

A good friend of Carrie Johnson has left Boris Johnson’s team of top advisers as the prime minister shakes up his Downing Street operation, Number 10 has confirmed.

Henry Newman will return to work with Michael Gove at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, having previously been his special adviser.

The PM’s official spokesman said “it was a mutually agreed decision with the prime minister for him to go to the department of levelling up”.

He said it was a “vitally important department, where he will be able to provide advice to Michael Gove”.

Live politics updates as PM shakes up support team

The adviser was once described by Mrs Johnson, a former Conservative Party head of communications, as one of her “favourite people”.

Mr Johnson is understood to have been urged to get rid of Mr Newman as a senior adviser over accusations his wife was influencing his appointments.

Mr Newman was working for Mr Gove when the minister withdrew his support for Mr Johnson in the 2016 Conservative leadership election.

He was also at the centre of the “chatty rat” leak about plans for a second COVID lockdown in 2020, but has always denied this.

Mr Newman’s move comes as several people in the PM’s top team resigned, including his head of policy Munira Mirza, who said Mr Johnson refused to apologise for accusing Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Mr Johnson sought to brush off questions about changes to his top team.

He said: “I think what people want is for the government to focus, not on stuff going on at Westminster, but to focus on life beyond Westminster, and to focus on the needs of the country – and that is what we’re doing.”