LONDON — When Theresa May has a problem, she turns to Ben Gummer.

The British MP might not be a household name but Tories who know how the U.K. prime minister's team operates say Gummer is May's eyes and ears, more trusted than many others around her cabinet table.

With less than four weeks until the June 8 U.K. general election, Gummer's latest task is to define his boss's pitch to the country as part of the team writing the Conservative manifesto.

He is working alongside May’s trusted joint chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, who have both written sections of the document, John Godfrey, head of May's policy unit, and his deputy Will Tanner, a special advisor who came with May from the Home Office. The chairman of the prime minister's policy board, George Freeman, is also feeding in ideas.

The circumstances of May's rise to power — a coronation following a stalled leadership race — left many wondering what May really stood for even as she walked up Downing Street.

In her previous job running the Home Office she kept herself to herself, rarely giving speeches or providing ideological opinion pieces to newspapers.

The manifesto, which is expected to be published next week, will offer one of the first comprehensive insights into May's broader policy agenda and will be heavily scrutinized by those trying to define Mayism in years to come. According to a former Tory official with links to senior figures in No. 10, Gummer is working most closely with Hill on Scotland, health and social care.

Gummer is believed by a senior Conservative who was working in Number 10 at the time the snap election was called to be among the very small circle who knew it was coming, although even his closest allies say it is not something he has divulged or bragged about.

In a short nine months, Gummer has transitioned from a passionate Remainer, who publicly stated on June 24 last year that he was "feeling sick to the pit of my stomach about the impact [Brexit] will have on jobs across the country," to a trusted member of May’s inner circle.

A senior Conservative close to May who has worked alongside Gummer, said he is getting a reputation for “sticking his nose into everything,” nine months after being appointed as minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, responsible for supporting the prime minister and the work of other departments. When approached about this piece, Gummer declined a request for an interview.

Gummer's rise and inclusion in the small group formulating the Tories' policy platform epitomize what an important currency trust and loyalty are within May's No. 10 Downing Street. Whereas Labour's manifesto was leaked to two national newspapers and then amended after a meeting of senior party members, May's inner circle have remained tight lipped.

Tory toffs

On paper, Gummer, with his textbook Tory upbringing, is a surprise May ally.

While the prime minister has sought to distance herself from the Cameron administration's reputation for upper-class privilege, Gummer is a notable exception. The son of a Tory minister, who now sits in the upper chamber as Lord Deben, Gummer went to the 450-year old Tonbridge School in Kent and then to Peterhouse College at Cambridge University. Gummer's sister Cordelia hit headlines aged four after their father, then an agriculture minister, tried to feed her a beef burger at the height of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) crisis.

“He doesn’t look normal or sound normal because he looks like a Tory and he sounds like a Tory and comes from a long line of Tories, but actually his thinking is much more of the everyday person than many around the cabinet table," a senior Conservative familiar with Number 10, who has watched him interact with the prime minister said. "What [May’s team] have spotted in him is a real understanding of what people want on the doorstep, and what concerns them.”

Elected in 2010, Gummer, was once an aide to Michael Gove, a close friend of David Cameron's until he campaigned against him in last summer's EU referendum and May's rival as his successor.

"[Gummer] is intellectually formidable, but he does believe that Conservatives should be based on common sense rather than ideology, and believes politics is about public service more than anything else," Gove said. "I suspect the ideas he will develop will be targeted at people on average and below average incomes to lead fulfilling lives and I think that will include ideas to help reduce energy prices, help make housing more affordable and help improve education for everyone."

Even before May’s decision to call a snap election, the fiercely intelligent Gummer — holder of the highest possible undergraduate degree class from Cambridge — already played an integral role. Dispatched to solve policy issues across government, he coordinates work between ministerial departments and, despite not being a full member of the cabinet, Gummer is on 14 of the 23 cabinet sub-committees.

He is also trusted with one of May's top priorities: saving the union in the face of increasingly vocal nationalist forces, especially in Scotland. The prime minister told Scottish Conservatives in March they needed to continue to "loudly and clearly" put the case for the "precious union" of the U.K.

An ally described him as “unionist to the bone,” and added that he is taking the job on with ever-increasing enthusiasm. Gummer has addressed the cabinet about the need for all departments to come up with a case against Scottish independence — something both he and the prime minister believe is crucial to Britain’s success post-Brexit, the ally said.

Hold your tongue

Key to his success has been his ability to get on with May’s joint chiefs of staff Timothy and Fiona Hill, whose respect he has won.

A source familiar with the No.10 Downing Street morning meeting suggests his ability to work very well with the pair is, in part, down to knowing when to stop talking.

“At times in morning meetings, Ben has said something, and eight out of 10 times they are very welcome and they think he is brilliant. Two times out of 10 they give him the look to tell him to shut the f--k up, and he does.” This awareness sets him apart from some colleagues who go on “kamikaze missions,” pressing on because an issue is important to them. “Ben doesn’t do that. He plays the game. He knows how to handle them [Hill and Timothy].”

Fellow East Anglian MP Keith Simpson, who has known Gummer for many years believes his ability to keep a secret — a rare trait among politicians — is particularly attractive to May.

"I think she is impressed by him. He works hard, is clever and doesn’t appear to gossip to the media. These are all plusses," Simpson said.

“Theresa loves campaigning," a long-serving Conservative colleague said. "She loves people who think about the overall vision of the party. She hates people who are about their individual profile. Although he sounds like a posh boy, he talks about gritty parts of Scotland, and how to win them over.”

One senior Conservative familiar with his role in No. 10 claims he has a "ruthless" streak and that he "knows the dirty on people."

"He is not all sweetness and light by any means."

With post-election reshuffle talk circulating around Westminster, Gummer is among those tipped for a big cabinet job.

Gummer was publicly criticized by the opposition for his rhetoric during a series of strikes by junior doctors last year, an issue which was part of his then brief as a junior health minister. He suggested the doctors' union was not putting patients first in the run up to strike action, an accusation bitterly rejected by junior doctors. Labour's Angela Rayner, now the shadow education secretary, used a House of Commons intervention to accuse him of speaking as though junior doctors do not care and do not want to help their patients.

His role writing the Tory election manifesto, has cemented comparisons between Gummer and former Prime Minister David Cameron’s “brain” Oliver Letwin.

With post-election reshuffle talk circulating around Westminster, Gummer is among those tipped for a big cabinet job.

Julian McCrae, deputy director at the Institute for Government, points out that as well as “doing essentially the Oliver Letwin role,” Gummer has also inherited the remit of overseeing the civil service, assessing if it provides value for money and bringing in reform.

Gummer's current role is a well-worn path to power. Under Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown the minister for the cabinet office was a place where up and coming politicians proved themselves. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband is among those who have held the job.

If May wins on June 8, a juicy promotion for Gummer may follow, but those who have watched him work in the cabinet office suggest that when it comes to power and influence, his current role is hard to beat.

Tom McTague contributed reporting.