Boris Johnson is reportedly close to appointing David Canzini as his new Downing Street disciplinarian to bring sullen Tory MPs back on to his side.
The experienced CCHQ strategist, who tweets irregularly under the alias @DCgrumpy and who has known the Prime Minister for more than two decades, has been tipped to be his chief adviser for some time after the resignation of Dominic Cummings.
Canzini is a senior ally of “master of the dark political arts” Sir Lynton Crosby. He previously worked for Crosby at CTF Partners and played a key role in Johnson’s bid to become Conservative leader back in 2019. He also worked for David Davis during his 2005 leadership campaign, and began his career as an agent for Edwina Currie.
One MP told the Daily Telegraph that Canzini is a “hard man”. But the idea that Canzini is a Alastair Campbell-like Machiavellian figure is inaccurate, a former colleague told The Hound. He is steely and determined, self-deprecating, and hates being in the spotlight.
Former Cabinet spad Peter Cardwell describes Canzini as the “ideal choice” to advise Johnson because he is “anonymous to the public but well-known and trusted by ordinary Conservative MPs, who have often felt neglected”, particulary Eurosceptic rabble rousers like Steve Baker and Mark Francois.
Johnson is expected to suffer his biggest rebellion yet over his ‘Plan B’ measures to combat the Omicron variant. And on Wednesday, he is due to meet the “92 group” of right-wing Tories. The PM is hoping the highly-respected Canzini’s can bring Tory backbenchers back in line. The question is whether Canzini would want the job, given he turned it down first time around.
