An experienced and well-liked special adviser who recently made a remarkable return to
the Whitehall apparatus, Cleo Watson was appointed chief of staff to Alok Sharma, president of the COP26 climate summit. The former Downing Street aide and key Cummings ally held a senior role within Vote Leave before joining Number Ten under Theresa May. Her star on Whitehall rose but her fate was sealed when Cummings departed Downing Street in November. (Watson’s nickname was “good cop” to Cummings’ “bad cop”.) That she has returned to the upper echelons of government so quickly is testament to her popularity and skill. The Mail on Sunday reported in May 2021 that Watson was writing a Westminster ‘bonkbuster’ novel; a tome eagerly-awaited throughout the political world.
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