Dominic Cummings is held hostage by the SAS… but Boris Johnson needn’t panic, it was only a show at the regiment’s base
- PM’s chief adviser underwent the experience last week during a tour of the base
- Involved trip to ‘Killing House’ where the elite soldiers train to tackle terrorists
- Cummings also visited the neighbouring Pontrilas Army Training Area
The idea of Dominic Cummings being held hostage with rifles pointed at his head might be one for some harassed civil servants to secretly savour.
But the Prime Minister’s uncompromising chief adviser underwent just this experience last week during a tour of the SAS headquarters, Stirling Lines.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that part of his visit on Wednesday involved a trip to the ‘Killing House’ where elite soldiers hone their skills on tackling terrorists. The guided tour of the Hereford base also included an inspection of the regiment’s military hardware and a briefing on recent operations, including efforts to eliminate Islamic State terrorists in Iraq.
A man put through one of the challenges faced by soldiers to gain their SAS badge
High-profile visitors to Stirling Lines are offered an unusual welcome – a turn in the ‘Killing House’, a two-storey building where the SAS practise close-quarter fighting. Previous guests include Princess Diana, whose hair caught fire thanks to a spark from a grenade thrown during an exercise in 1983.
It is understood that Mr Cummings arrived at the base – named in honour of the regiment’s founder, Colonel David Stirling – by helicopter. He also visited the neighbouring Pontrilas Army Training Area where other top-secret units are based.
The visit was part of his tour of Britain’s highly classified UK security installations that has raised eyebrows among politicians and military chiefs.
When news of his plans emerged earlier this month, Tobias Ellwood, a Tory backbencher and chair of the Commons Select Defence Committe, said MPs should be given the same opportunity to question him about defence and security matters as they are afforded for Ministers and civil servants. Special advisers, who are appointed by politicians, are rarely required to give evidence to select committees.
The Prime Minister’s uncompromising chief adviser underwent just this experience last week during a tour of the SAS headquarters, Stirling Lines
It is understood that senior SAS officers used Wednesday’s event to stress the importance of maintaining the number of personnel in the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment. It has been reported that these units, which provide the majority of Special Forces troops, could shrink or be merged to save money.
‘More than half the soldiers in the 250-man SAS were previously Paras while the even smaller Special Boat Service (SBS) couldn’t continue without the support of the Royal Marines,’ said a defence source. ‘So Cummings was told that these units must be preserved in their entirety.’
Mr Cummings, who has complained that military procurement ‘has continued to squander billions of pounds’, recently attended meetings at the headquarters of MI5 and MI6 and is also planning to visit the SBS’s headquarters in Poole, Dorset, along with the Government’s top secret laboratories at Porton Down in Wiltshire.
Last night, the Ministry of Defence did not respond to a request for comment.