Boris Johnson
© PAPrime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to the technology centre at Hopwood Hall College in Manchester. Picture date: Thursday February 3, 2022.
Another aide has left Number 10, taking the total number of departures in less than 24 hours to five.

Number 10 Policy Unit member Elena Narozanski is the latest aide to leave Boris Johnson's Downing Street operation amid the continuing fallout from the partygate allegations.

Who else is leaving?

Her departure comes after Number 10 revealed Dan Rosenfield, the prime minister's chief of staff, and Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson's principal private secretary, are leaving their roles.

Two other key advisers to Mr Johnson - press chief Jack Doyle and policy chief Munira Mirza - have also resigned.

The exodus comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak - widely touted as a possible successor to the PM - piled pressure on Mr Johnson following the row over his comments this week about Jimmy Savile and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The PM continues to come under pressure over Downing Street gatherings during COVID restrictions in 2020 and 2021, 12 of which are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.


Comment: The details of the investigations which, up to now, are being intentionally concealed by the Met Police.


A total of 12 Tory MPs have now publicly called for the PM to go, with seven revealing they have submitted letters of no confidence in him.

Three departures were 'mutual decisions' - Number 10

Downing Street has said the departures of Mr Rosenfield, Mr Reynolds and Mr Doyle - who had become embroiled in the partygate scandal - had been agreed before Ms Mirza's surprise resignation and the trio were departing by "mutual consent".

The PM's spokesman said he did not believe the same applied to Ms Narozanski, adding: "I have seen that departure reported. My understanding is that it is correct."

He said Mr Johnson addressed Downing Street staff in the Cabinet Room on Friday and told them "change is good", using a line from the Disney film The Lion King.

Speaking to Sky News before Ms Narozanski's reported resignation was revealed, energy minister Greg Hands claimed the departures were evidence of the PM "taking charge".

Communities Secretary Michael Gove also spoke in support of the PM, saying: "I believe that the best thing for the country is for the prime minister to continue. I think he is doing a great job."

Javid distances himself from PM's Savile 'slur'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the PM "absolutely" retains his support.

He added that Mr Johnson had promised to change his Number 10 operation and "he's started making those changes already".

The health secretary also distanced himself from the PM's attack on Sir Keir, saying the Labour leader had done a "good job" as director of public prosecutions and deserved "absolute respect" for that work.

He said it was "important" Mr Johnson had "clarified" his remarks.

The PM has stepped back from his use of the discredited claim that Sir Keir failed to prosecute Savile when he was director of public prosecutions after days of criticism.


Comment: As rock musician John Lydon revealed in an interview, a great many people in the entertainment industry knew about Savile's criminal perversions, and yet no one said or did anything to stop him. The BBC, who repeatedly employed Savile, actually banned Lydon for even hinting about it, despite many in the coporation being aware.


Mr Hands said the departure of Ms Mirza was different from the other resignations.

In her resignation letter, she criticised the PM's "scurrilous" use of a discredited Savile claim against Sir Keir.

"She made clear her reasons for her resignation. The prime minister was equally clear that he disagreed with her," Mr Hands said.

"The prime minister was also clear on Wednesday that he was referring back to the public apology made by Sir Keir Stamer in 2013."

Labour's Ed Miliband told Sky News what is going on in Downing Street is like a "captain trying to throw crewmates overboard to stop the ship sinking".

What did the PM say about shaking up Number 10?

Speaking in the Commons on Monday in the wake of the release of a partial version of Sue Gray's report, the PM promised a shakeup of his Number 10 operation.

The report said Downing Street lockdown gatherings represented a "serious failure" and were "difficult to justify".

Mr Johnson told MPs he was making changes to the way Downing Street and the Cabinet Office are run "so that we can get on with the job that I was elected to do and the job that this government was elected to do".

It has been speculated that Mr Johnson was forced to bring forward his plans following the surprise departure of Ms Mirza, who has been replaced by Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith, a loyal ally of the PM.