The move comes just months after Cain’s fortunes went from being offered the job of Johnson’s chief of staff to resigning virtually overnight – allegedly due to Symonds vetoing his appointment.
Cain’s combative reputation was fuelled by an approach to dealing with the media that led Downing Street to boycott ITV’s Good Morning Britain and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. And his attempts to divide and conquer lobby journalists early last year backfired spectacularly when they staged a walkout in protest over his tactic of trying to exclude certain media outlets from press briefings.
Piers Morgan blames Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain for government's #GMB boycott https://t.co/HJbhV1duu3
— Mirror TV (@MirrorTV) November 16, 2020
“The walkout took place after a confrontation inside No 10 in which Lee Cain, Johnson’s most senior communications adviser, tried to exclude reporters from the Mirror, i, HuffPost, PoliticsHome, Independent and others.” https://t.co/fmu6gB9HJc
Nonetheless, he continued to enjoy the confidence of the Prime Minister until last November. Within the space of 24 hours Cain went from Johnson's choice to become his chief of staff, to being forced out amid reports that Symonds had objected to his appointment.
The Times 13/11/20
— The Times Pictures (@TimesPictures) November 12, 2020
Carrie Symonds, Boris' fiancée, is emerging as a powerbroker in No 10. Lee Cain, a senior aide, resigned after she opposed his promotion to chief of staff. Photo : James Veysey/Shutterstock/Rex Features#tomorrowspaperstoday #thetimes #buyapaper @thetimes pic.twitter.com/vzE9v6Xe3I
New career
Now Cain is preparing to launch himself as a celebrity speaker, trading on his time at the heart of government.
He has been signed by two agencies this month – Chartwell Speakers, which includes former FT editor Lionel Barber and ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt on its roster; and Kruger Cowne, which represents celebrities such as Piers Morgan and Claudia Schiffer.
In Cain's profile on the websites of both agencies it says that as well as being director of comms he was Johnson’s “political strategist”.
It states: “An expert in politics, communications and crisis management, Lee is an engaging and candid speaker in his role at the heart of the British Government.”
And his role at Downing Street went far beyond comms, according to his profile. “He was central in all key parts of government including communications, economic strategy, national security, constitutional crisis and key domestic policy.”
It concludes: “Working at the heart of government, Lee held direct responsibility for managing some of the biggest media stories of the past half century.”
Raleigh Addington, managing director, Chartwell Speakers, told PRWeek that Cain had come onto the agency’s books over the past week and will be able to charge “upwards of £5,000” for a keynote speech.
Cain will be available from the start of next month, according to Addington, who is confident there will be a demand for the ex-Downing Street comms director to speak at events.
He said: “It’s quite an impressive journey he’s been, on isn’t it? I would have thought people would be interested to know about crisis communications and that kind of thing inside Downing Street.”
In contrast to many in Whitehall, Cain did not attend Oxford or Cambridge. He went to Staffordshire University and was a journalist for a decade.
However, he did not to rise to a senior role in jounalism before becoming Downing Street's comms chief, unlike many of his predecessors or the job's most recent incumbent, James Slack, who announced his departure on Friday.
After Vote Leave’s victory in the referendum, Cain went on to become an adviser to Boris Johnson and stayed by his side until the two parted company in November.
Addington commented: “He’s a guy who’s come from a totally different background to a lot of people in politics and a lot of people in the PR space, and he can offer a very different view to what a lot of people say. I think he’s an important voice and one that companies should listen to.”
Cain joined the books of talent agency Kruger Cowne at the start of this month. The agency’s chief executive, Mark Cowne, stated: “Kruger Cowne does exclusively represent and manage Lee Cain.”
He added: “As a highly accomplished speaker Lee will achieve between £10,000 and £15,000 for an actual, physical speech, once events return to normality and subject to where it is, the audience and the amount or research and preparation needed to create the speech.”
New agency
In addition to signing up with talent agencies, Cain recently set up a company, Charlesbye Limited, which is engaged in PR and comms, according to Companies House. Cain, who will turn 40 later this year, is the sole director listed.
Cain’s move to trade on his experience in Downing Street emerged days after he was back in the headlines, with a report in The Guardian quoting a Government adviser saying that Cain was the de facto prime minister while Johnson was ill with COVID-19 last year.
Tremendous long read from @jessicaelgot on the week that Lee Cain ended up running the country...https://t.co/oXLSQbOpSJ
— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) March 12, 2021
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