Political strategist Dominic Cummings is back in the spotlight again after Boris Johnson appointed him as a senior adviser at Number 10.
Considered the "mastermind" of the leave campaign and one of the chief architects of Brexit, Mr Cummings will perform a "chief executive officer" role at the heart of government.
Described as a "mad professor" and an "evil genius," Mr Cummings is not well known by the general public but ran Vote Leave and is credited with creating the "take back control" and "£350m for the NHS" slogans.
But he has clashed with officials and Tory grandees in the past, and has not held back with his opinions on other high-profile Brexiteers including David Davis who he once labelled as “lazy as a toad” and as “thick as mince”.
He was recently played by Benedict Cumberbatch in a film about the 2016 referendum called Brexit: The Uncivil War and last had a post in Whitehall as a special adviser to Michael Gove in the Department of Education.
Here is everything you need to know about Dominic Cummings.
Who is Dominic Cummings and what was his involvement in the Vote Leave campaign?
Born in Durham, Mr Cummings was privately educated and later attended Oxford University, graduating with a degree in Ancient and Modern History.
In 2010, Michael Gove appointed him as his Chief of Staff and he quickly made waves in Whitehall. In 2013, he was accused by civil servants in the Department for Education for creating a “us-and-them, aggressive, intimidating culture.”
After leaving the post in 2014, he told the Times: “Everyone thinks there’s some moment, like in a James Bond movie, where you open the door and that’s where the really good people are, but there is no door.”
In 2015, Mr Cummings founded the Vote Leave campaign with political strategist Matthew Elliot.
His campaign strategy is said to have included the following points: “Don’t talk about immigration,” “Do talk about business,” “Don’t make the referendum final,” “Do keep mentioning the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the over-reach of the European Union’s Court of Justice.”
He came up with the famous campaign slogan: "Vote leave, take back control". Tory Brexiteers Michael Gove and Boris Johnson became the faces of the campaign.
In July 2018, the Electoral Commission announced Vote Leave had been found guilty of breaking electoral law by overspending. The group was fined £61,000 and referred to the police.
Mr Cummings has not given an media interviews about Brexit: The Uncivil War but his wife Mary Wakefield signalled that the family were happy with Mr Cumberbatch's portrayal of him. She detailed in the Spectator last month how the actor had come round to the house for a dinner of "vegan pie."
She said it was a "relief" that he had come not to judge her husband but to "become him" and added that he "looks so like him in the trailer".
What is his new role in government?
Mr Cummings has taken on a special role in Mr Johnson's new-look cabinet.
Following his pivotal role in the Vote Leave campaign, Mr Johnson has appointed the Durham-born Mr Cummings as a senior aide.
An insider previously told the Standard that Mr Cummings will work alongside the more subtle figure of Sir Edward Lister, both having the title “senior adviser”.
“Dom will be CEO, running the PM’s office and day-to-day meetings, which is what he is exceptionally good at,” said the source. “Eddie will be a chairman of the board, dealing with foreign leaders and the Cabinet."
With Brexit set to be a key battleground for Mr Johnson's new premiership, Mr Cummings will be seen as key in getting it over the line by the stated October deadline - with or without a deal.
Why is his appointment seen as controversial?
Mr Cummings has ruffled Whitehall feathers in the past, thanks in part to his abrasive manner and contempt for the political establishment.
His cutting manner during his time at the Education Department led to Mr Gove being summoned by MPs to answer questions about alleged “bullying”, and he was labelled a "career psychopath" by David Cameron in 2014.
During the referendum campaign, Mr Cummings clashed with Tory right wingers from Jacob Rees-Mogg’s European Research Group, surviving a botched coup led by Sir Bernard Jenkin when loyal Vote Leave staffers threatened mass resignations.
He is also known for his scruffy dress sense, which has a tendency to appal Tory grandees.
Mr Cummings was branded in contempt of Parliament in March for refusing to appear before a committee investigating alleged abuse of data in the referendum campaigns.
What is Brexit: the Uncivil War about?
The one-off drama documented the lead up to the Brexit referendum and how Mr Cummings and his team built a campaign that shook the political establishment.
Politicians Michael Gove (Oliver Maltman), Boris Johnson (Richard Goulding), Nigel Farage (Paul Ryan) and Arron Banks (Lee Boardman) are all portrayed in the drama.
Mr Cumberbatch has said of the film: "This is about a specific aspect of the referendum campaign. It’s about revealing and unearthing that.
"It is not about how to solve it or what went wrong or right, it’s just about how those moments occurred. It doesn’t lecture. It’s not censorious, and it’s certainly not didactic."
