Lee Cain
| Use attributes for filter ! | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Age | 43 |
| Date of birth | January 1,1981 |
| Education | Ormskirk Grammar School |
| Staffordshire University | |
| Previous position | Downing Street Director of Communications (2019–2020) |
| Prime minist | Boris Johnson |
| Date of Reg. | |
| Date of Upd. | |
| ID | 2531304 |
Lee Cain Life story
Lee Edward Cain is a British public relations professional and former journalist who served as Downing Street Director of Communications under Boris Johnson from July 2019 until the end of 2020.
Boris Johnson to apologise to Covid Inquiry but say he got big calls right
... His former director of communications, Lee Cain, said the pandemic, describing dither and delay...
Covid inquiry: Michael Gove defends Boris Johnson over lockdown decision-making
... In previous testimony, some of Mr Johnson s most senior advisers - including Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain - have characterised the former prime minister as indecisive and liable to change his mind...
Covid inquiry: What has Sir Patrick Vallance said in his diaries?
... Sir Patrick says communications chiefs Lee Cain and James Slack plus civil servant Martin Reynolds tried to convince them, but they managed to avoid doing it in the end...
Covid Inquiry: Boris Johnson referred to Treasury as 'pro-death squad'
... The inquiry was later shown a series of WhatsApp messages sent in September and October 2020 between then Downing Street director of communications Lee Cain and Ben Warner - a data scientist hired by Dominic Cummings after working on the 2016 Vote Leave campaign...
Covid inquiry: Key points from Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain evidence
...On Tuesday, the Covid Inquiry heard evidence from two of Boris Johnson s key advisers at the height of the pandemic - Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain...
Boris Johnson thought old people should accept Covid fate, inquiry told
... Lee Cain, No 10 s former communications director, said the pandemic was the " wrong crisis" for Mr Johnson and he was a " challenging character to work with" because he kept changing his mind...
Covid inquiry: Read the private WhatsApp messages from inside Downing Street
... In a message to No 10 communications director Lee Cain, he said Mr Johnson " doesn t think it s a big deal" and " it ll be like swine flu" another virus which spread across the world in 2009, killing more than 450 people in the UK but not prompting a major public health crisis...
Covid inquiry WhatsApps paint picture of chaos
... And there is plenty more to come - Boris Johnson s former director of communications, Lee Cain, and his former chief of staff, Dominic Cummings...
Boris Johnson to apologise to Covid Inquiry but say he got big calls right
By Chris MasonPolitical editor, BBC News
Boris Johnson is expected to apologise to the Covid Inquiry next week and acknowledge the government did not get everything right during the pandemic.
But the former PM will argue robustly that his government got many of the big calls right.
He Will Talk with pride about The Vaccines programme and argue the UK emerged The Final lockdown earlier than other comparable economies.
His evidence will follow weeks of heavy criticism of him at The Inquiry .
Those around Mr Johnson are letting it be known The Broad tenor and scope of the arguments he is expected to make, before what could be up to ten hours of questioning from lawyers.
Boris Johnson 's capabilities as a Prime Minister in a pandemic have been criticised by some of those who worked most closely with him when Covid struck.
His former director of communications, Lee Cain , said the pandemic, describing dither and delay.
The former chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance , said Mr Johnson was " bamboozled" by scientific data.
And his former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings , has long described the former Prime Minister as " the trolley" due to his tendency to veer around and constantly change his mind.
So Mr Johnson has some reputation management to do.
Those who have helped prepare him for his appearance before The Inquiry - which will happen Next Wednesday and Thursday - Say he will take on those who have accused him of constantly changing his mind by emphasising the volume of briefings he was receiving, how quickly advice would change and the magnitude of the decisions he had to make.
He will also defend his use of colourful language and phrases, and the adoption of provocative positions in Private - Saying it helped him get The Best out of his advisers and it is not wise for a Prime Minister to sit In Silence when being briefed by experts.
One source said: " Ministers can argue for their briefs, as they should. So a health secretary will argue for Public Health . A chancellor will argue for the economy.
" But there is only one person in The British system of government that has to arbitrate between the competing arguments and ultimately come to a decision, having made a call on the trade-offs. "
The Source added: " There is only one guy in This Country who can tell you what it is like to be Prime Minister in a pandemic. And One day there will be Another One . "
Mr Johnson's written statement, around 200 pages long, has already been submitted to The Inquiry .
It is thought The Statement barely mentions Mr Cummings.
The former health secretary, Matt Hancock , has revealed in his written statement to The Inquiry that " the then Prime Minister has apologised to me for appointing his chief adviser and for the damage he did to the response to Covid-19".
Mr Hancock regarded Mr Cummings as a " malign actor" who created a toxic culture in Downing Street.
Mr Johnson is expected to Say he does not agree with that and that there were always likely to be elements of tension within government, particularly at a time of heightened stress.
He is, though, expected to Say that he doesn't condone unreasonable behaviour or language.
Boris Johnson has been advised in his preparations by Brian Altman KC.
At 10am on Wednesday, his interrogation by Hugo Keith KC will begin. A country will be watching and waiting: for scrutiny, accountability, and answers.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
