Cummings has used his select committee appearance to reject stories he took a £45,000 pay rise last year. Spurred on by a question from Dawn Butler, Cummings claims he asked for a pay cut upon joining Downing Street to match his £100,000 Vote Leave salary – down from the £145,000 someone in his role would have been offered.

He admits his pay as chief advisor eventually returned to the £145,000 level the day after the 2019 general election. Rather undermines Starmer’s recent attack line of choice on nurses’ pay…