'I will survive' sings Boris Johnson to new comms boss Guto Harri who hopes to keep him in Number 10

Boris Johnson's new communications chief, Guto Harri, is already doing what he was hired to do even though it’s only officially his first day in the new job. 

Arriving in Downing Street, the new Director of Communications was seen swinging a Tesco carrier bag. 

He held it up to reporters and photographers and joked that it contained “mineral water and healthy snacks” for the staff.

Not just a way of winning over new colleagues, it was a message that things are changing in Number 10. No more drinking culture, no more boozy gatherings, instead healthy snacks and mineral water. 

It’s what his new boss needs him do: to try to change the story surrounding the Prime Minister and accusations that he’s presided over a Downing Street where lockdown rules were broken while the rest of us were coping with the strictest public health measures that we’ve known.

Boris Johnson said he would change the culture and change the staff and there’s certainly been a clearout of personnel over the last few days. 

But he’s far from out of the woods and that’s where Guto Harri comes in. 

He may be an old ally from Boris Johnson’s days as London mayor, but Guto Harri hasn’t exactly been singing his old boss’ praises in recent times. 

'Could he survive if he lied to parliament?'

In fact last week he was the one asking the difficult questions for the S4C programme Y Byd Yn Ei Le, that he’s been presenting. 

He asked the former Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns: “If he [Boris Johnson] has broken the law he might get a fairly trivial fixed penalty notice. It means he could get a fine for breaking his own rules. Could he really survive that eventuality?”

Alun Cairns dismissed that as speculation but Guto Harri pressed on, asking “could he survive if he lied to parliament?’

Today he’s said that he’s asked those tough questions directly to the Prime Minister, telling the Golwg 360 website that he asked Boris Johnson directly if he was going to be able to stay in post. 

Boris Johnson reportedly sang “I will survive” ​​- something he was asked to confirm in an interview today. 

The Prime Minister laughed it off but didn’t say no, only insisting that “we are focussed and it is absolutely the reality. Everybody at Number 10 and the Treasury are working together in harmony to deal with the big problems that the country faces."

That last comment alludes to the suggestions that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are at odds with each other, and that it was the chancellor who blocked a plan to deal with the Covid backlog in the English NHS.

I put those rumours to the Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams, who is a parliamentary aide (PPS) at the Treasury.

He said he’s “absolutely positive” that the Chancellor is not working to undermine the Prime Minister.

“They work very closely together. The energy announcement last week was a government announcement with the chancellor and the Prime Minister signed up to it.

“Every single colour government always has 'is the Chancellor and the Prime Minister getting on?' We're no different to those rumours. But all I can say from where I sit, is I see a government working together to try and solve the energy crisis we've got coming, try and present that united picture we need against the Russian aggression over in Eastern Europe and dealing with hugely significant issues of the day. This is a distraction and it's got to end.”

'I'm afraid all routes lead to Boris Johnson'

For Labour though, the distraction which has to end is Boris Johnson’s premiership. 

Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens told me that: “The one problem in number 10 Downing Street that hasn't been addressed is Boris Johnson himself. 

“I mean, all the changes that have been made over the weekend, I'm afraid all routes lead to Boris Johnson. All decisions ultimately rest with Boris Johnson. And the change that's needed is for Boris Johnson to go. 

“Nothing has happened over the weekend that is going to solve the real problem here, which is him.”

Craig Williams takes a different view. He says his constituents have made their concerns clear to him but he thinks the Prime Minister is dealing with those concerns. 

“I do. I think he's got to have an opportunity. You know, clearly, I've had constituents come to me and I've relayed those to the prime minister himself. 

“He admits he's dropped the ball. He admits things have got to change. And we're seeing right now things change at a pace. 

“So you know, there's a good rugby analogy, you don’t change your captain through a troubled season, well I want to give him some opportunity to change - he’s proving he is right now. 

“Let's just all take a deep breath and see where this ends.”