Boris Johnson’s own strategist is concerned the prime minister doesn’t have “enough fight in him” for the next general election, Westminster insiders have told The Independent.
David Canzini, deputy chief of staff at No 10, has privately expressed concerns about Mr Johnson’s ability and dedication to fighting a nationwide campaign in the next two years.
The prime minister’s future is under intense scrutiny after he scraped through a vote of no confidence on Monday night, with 41 per cent of Tory MPs actively voting for him to go.
It is Mr Canzini’s job, having been hired in February this year to help with the fallout of the Partygate scandal, to ensure the Conservative Party wins the next general election.
However, sources told The Independent that he is worried Mr Johnson has not understood the scale of the battle on his hands and is too complacent about his prospects of winning a fresh mandate.
“It’s going to be blood, sweat and tears trying to secure another Tory majority and David’s concerned that Spads [special advisers] and even the PM himself are failing to realise what a mountain there is to climb,” one insider said.
“He’s worried that the PM hasn’t got enough fight in him to get through a campaign. It really takes a toll, it’s gruelling,” they added.
Downing Street pushed back against the claims. A No 10 spokesperson said they were “untrue and unsubstantiated”.
Mr Canzini cuts a relatively enigmatic figure in Westminster. The low-profile strategist is a close ally of Sir Lynton Crosby, the Australian electoral strategist who many credit with Mr Johnson’s political success.
He has expressed disdain for Downing Street leakers, scolding aides when details of his briefings subsequently appear in the press.
Insiders suggest Mr Canzini has let some measure of frustration with the prime minister’s “hit and miss” work ethic show in recent weeks.
“Holding the party together, let alone securing another victory, is not going to fit around the PM’s lifestyle as it stands, and David’s made his views on that pretty clear,” one No 10 staffer said.
They added: “He’s there to make sure there’s another strong Tory prime minister after the next general election, not to save ‘Big Dog’ at any cost.”
The staffer said Operation Big Dog, the drive to save the Johnson premiership, had also been caught unawares by the sheer scale and pace of rebellion within the Tory party. The prime minister’s core team had not anticipated the level of discontent laid bare in Monday evening’s vote.
There has been criticism from Tory MPs about the lack of communication from the whips over the jubilee weekend as discontent grew. Sir Lynton was understood to have been alongside Mr Johnson this weekend after the prime minister was told about the vote of no confidence on Sunday afternoon.
Still, Mr Canzini had made some MPs aware of the problems that could arise from the lack of a clear replacement for Mr Johnson, sources said.
Figures such as Lord Frost would be critical to Mr Johnson’s future, one senior Tory MP said. His preference for a smaller, less interventionist state is being tested by rhetoric in favour of tax cuts, but little action on the issue, they added.
