Dominic Cummings has left Number 10 with immediate effect

Cummings has left the building

Dominic Cummings, architect of Vote Leave and Boris Johnson's former chief adviser, has left Downing Street for the last time, according to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg. Cummings' future has been under speculation for a number of days, following reports of internal tensions in Number 10 and the shock exit of his key ally Lee Cain, Johnson's former Director of Communications. It was previously reported that Cummings would be leaving Downing Street before Christmas, but it appears that today was his last day in Number 10. Images of Cummings leaving Downing Street with what appear to be a box of his personal possessions surfaced on Twitter earlier today. https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1327292504505524229 https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1327304254177075204 Cummings had previously insisted that he planned to step down by the end of this year, writing in a blog that, "We want to improve performance and make me much less important – and within a year largely redundant." One of Boris Johnson's most senior and trusted advisers, Cummings became one of the most notorious figures in British politics after breaking lockdown rules earlier in the year, travelling from London to Durham when travel was not permitted. Many saw Cummings' breaking of the rules as leading to a loss of public confidence in the government's messaging and ability to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. A number of Tory MPs have signalled that Cummings' departure signals a "fresh start", as the government heads into the final stages of trade talks with European Union leaders ahead of Britain's departure from the EU.