1981 (age 42–43)
Lee Edward Cain (born 1981) [1] 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. [2]
Cain attended Ormskirk Grammar School and graduated from Staffordshire University. [3]
Cain began his career as a journalist at the Gloucester Citizen and The Sun before moving to the Daily Mirror . While working for the Mirror in the run-up to the 2010 general election, [4] Cain was used to taunt David Cameron and other Conservative MPs dressed as a chicken. [5] [6]
After leaving his position as a senior media advisor for Slater and Gordon Lawyers,Cain moved into politics to become head of broadcast for the Vote Leave campaign. [7] In addition to serving at the Department for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs under Andrea Leadsom and Michael Gove,he briefly worked for Theresa May before leaving to work with Johnson while he was serving as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. [8]
Cain served as the Downing Street Director of Communications from 2019 to 2020. In an article about the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic,when Johnson was hospitalised,it was commented that "Lee was running the country,genuinely,for quite some time." [9] In November 2020,Cain resigned from his position,and stated that he would leave office at the end of the year. [10] [11] Cain had previously been mentioned as a possible selection for Downing Street Chief of Staff. [12]
In 2021,Cain started his own PR communications agency,Charlesbye. [13] In 2021, The Guardian reported the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) warned that Cain could be seen to offering "unfair" access to clients given his former role. [14]
In the 2023 Channel 4 docudrama Partygate ,Cain was played by Craig Parkinson. [15]
Guto Harri is a Welsh broadcaster,writer and strategic communications consultant. He most recently served as Downing Street Director of Communications,having been appointed by Boris Johnson in February 2022.
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Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He was previously Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 2001 to 2008 and Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015 to 2023.
The Downing Street director of communications is the post of director of communications for the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The position is held by an appointed special adviser.
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Boris Johnson's tenure as prime minister of the United Kingdom began on 24 July 2019 when he accepted an invitation of Queen Elizabeth II to form a government,succeeding Theresa May,and ended on 6 September 2022 upon his resignation. Johnson's premiership was dominated by Brexit,the COVID-19 pandemic,the Russian invasion of Ukraine,and the cost of living crisis. As prime minister,Johnson also served simultaneously as First Lord of the Treasury,Minister for the Civil Service and as Minister for the Union.
Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson is an English media consultant and is married to Boris Johnson. She is the daughter of Matthew Symonds,co-founder of The Independent.
Daniel Robert Rosenfield,Baron Rosenfield is a British political adviser and civil servant who served as the Downing Street Chief of Staff from January 2021 to February 2022. Between July 2007 and April 2011,he served as the principal private secretary to chancellors Alistair Darling and George Osborne,and subsequently as a managing director for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Jack Doyle is a British journalist who served as Downing Street Director of Communications from April 2021 to February 2022.
Partygate is a political scandal in the United Kingdom about gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021,when public health restrictions prohibited most gatherings. The scandal contributed to Boris Johnson's downfall as Prime Minister and his resignation as an MP.
Pippa Crerar is a British journalist who is the political editor of The Guardian. She was previously the Daily Mirror's political editor from 2018 to 2022. While at the Mirror,she reported extensively on Partygate,a political scandal which culminated in the resignation of Boris Johnson.
The 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are honours awarded following the September 2022 resignation of the Prime Minister,Boris Johnson.
Amber de Botton is a British journalist and former political aide.
Nerissa Chesterfield is a British political aide who has been Downing Street Director of Communications since September 2023. She previously served as Downing Street Press Secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from October 2022.
Cleo Watson is a British author and former special adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.