BORIS Johnson and his team were accused of fighting “like rats in a sack” on the day the highest ever number of Covid cases was recorded.
The Prime Minister is under pressure to bring in “someone with big boy pants” to get a grip of No10 after the dramatic resignation of his chief spin doctor Lee Cain in a bitter power struggle and rows between aides, MPs and his fiancé Carrie Symonds.
And now Mr Johnson is under pressure from senior Tories to ease out his controversial guru Dominic Cummings after the former Vote Leave boss threatened to walk out in the Downing Street turf war.
Former BBC and ITV journalist Allegra Stratton’s appointment to be the new face of No10 at daily White House style TV briefings had enraged Mr Cain, who was backed by fellow Brexiteer Mr Cummings in his demand for more powers.
The row erupted after a fledgling plan to make Mr Cain the boss of all No10 staff as a compromise sparked a furious backlash from senior female aides including Ms Stratton who was backed by her pal Ms Symonds.
Following a showdown with the PM on Wednesday night Mr Cain quit, with allies hinting Mr Cummings could follow him out – a threat that had not yet materialised on Thursday afternoon.
Yesterday ministers and MPs urged the PM to bring in a “peacemaking grownup” to run his office and keep baying factions in No10 in check.
Sir Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, said that there had been “unhappiness” about the Downing Street operation for some time.
“Members of parliament have felt excluded from the decision-making process, and that’s no secret,” he added.
And Jake Berry, an old ally of Mr Johnson who leads a group of 50 Northern tory MPs, said: “As we go past that grim milestone of 50,000 deaths from this appalling disease, it’s high time that there was a bit of a change of guard in No 10.”
Sir Roger Gale MP warned: “a PM, particularly one facing the difficulties Mr Johnson is facing, needs heavyweight help. It really is time that Downing Street got in place somebody with big boy pants on.”
But fellow Brexiteer Jacob Rees Mogg leapt to Mr Cain’s defence saying: “May I just say what a fantastic public servant he has been, somebody instrumental in ensuring the Vote Leave campaign was successful and somebody who has made a huge contribution to this government.
“He will be a loss to the government and has been a very important figure to it.”
Last night Labour claimed Government infighting was hampering the fight against Covid.
A spokesman said: “Boris Johnson’s Government is fighting like rats in a sack over who gets what job. It is precisely this lack of focus and rank incompetence that has held Britain back.”
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