Dominic Cummings debated Brexit for three hours with disgruntled hotel restaurant staff after they raised concerns about having to serve him.
Workers at the Ceilidh Place Hotel in Ullapool were “not keen” to deal with the Prime Minister’s former aide due to his blotchy political record.
When he returned for a second meal while on holiday, Mr Cummings was taken aside and told the owner would serve him directly.
But to their amazement, he then returned alone for a third evening meal - followed by a three-hour debate with the owner and staff.
Owner Jock Urquhart told the Inverness Courier it was a “robust and frank exchange of views with those members of staff less enamoured with his presence.”
He added: “I can confirm that Mr Cummings was in Ullapool and did attend the Ceilidh Place on a number of occasions.
“Some members of our staff had a political ambivalence towards him and were keen not to serve him.
"However, on an organisational level, the Ceilidh Place felt that refusal of service on the grounds of political belief is a dangerous slippery slope.
"Anyone who didn’t want to interact with Mr Cummings was given the right not to do so and he was looked after by a member of the senior management team.
"Mr Cummings was aware of this animosity, but he chose to dine with us and offered to spend some of his own time in a robust and frank exchange of views.”
The ex-aide later tweeted a link to a story about the encounter, writing: “If visiting beautiful Ullapool strongly recommend the Ceilidh Place, great hotel (& v interesting political discussions with owner/staff on Brexit, independence…)”.
Mr Cummings was the architect of the Vote Leave campaign for Brexit in 2016, including its false claim that the UK was sending the EU £350m-a-week that could be spent elsewhere.
He then shot to national infamy in May 2020 after the Mirror revealed he had broken Covid isolation and lockdown rules to drive from London to Durham, with his sick wife in the passenger seat.
Mr Cummings justified his behaviour by saying if both he and his wife had fallen ill, no one would have been able to look after their child.
He also claimed a 30-mile drive to nearby Barnard Castle had been to test his eyes were working.
He later added there had been security concerns around staying at their home in north London.
Mr Cummings was backed by Boris Johnson but left Downing Street in November after a wave of factional infighting. He has since turned on his former boss, claiming he thought it was just a “scare story”.
