LAST UPDATE | 13 Feb 2020
SENIOR TORY SAJID Javid has resigned as the UK’s Chancellor amid a hectic Cabinet reshuffle by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Rishi Sunak was confirmed as the new Chancellor moments after Javid’s resignation. The 39-year-old is a hedge fund millionaire who is married to the daughter of Indian billionaire NR Narayana Murthy. Sunak was first elected as an MP in 2015.
Javid’s short tenure in office makes him one of the only Chancellors in British history to never deliver a Budget; the UK Budget is due to be announced next month.
Several British political correspondents tweeted out to say that Javid was told that he could remain as Chancellor if he sacked all of his advisers, but refused to do so.
Johnson also axed Geoffrey Cox from his post as attorney general, and has replaced him with Suella Braverman.
Other senior ministers who have been fired include Esther McVey as housing minister, Andrea Leadsom as business secretary, and Theresa Villiers lost her job as environment secretary.
Alok Sharma has been named as the new business secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been appointed as Secretary of State for International Development, and Oliver Dowden has been promoted to Digital and Culture Secretary.
George Eustice will be the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
A new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, has also been appointed.
Among those who are staying in their roles, are: Dominic Raab is to remain as Foreign Affairs Secretary, Michael Gove as the Duchy of Lancaster (effectively the deputy prime minister), and Priti Patel will remain as Home Secretary.
Matt Hancock is also staying put as Secretary of State for Health; Robert Buckland remains Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice; Liz Truss remains as International Trade Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities.
Therése Coffey is remaining as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Gavin Williamson will remain as Secretary of State for Education and Robert Jenrick will continue as Secretary of State for Education.
Ben Wallace remains Secretary of State for Defence and Alister Jack as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Simon Hart will continue as the Secretary of State for Wales and Grant Shapps will remain as Secretary of State for Transport.
Earlier, Johnson fired Julian Smith as Northern Ireland secretary, prompting the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Northern Ireland politicians to compliment Smith on his work in restoring the Stormont Executive.
Speculation about Smith’s position centred on the terms of that same Stormont deal, amid Tory concerns it could pave the way for prosecutions of British soldiers.
Allies of Smith contradicted this to say it was “absolute crap” to suggest that Johnson had not been kept informed of the details of the deal.
With reporting from the Press Association.
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