London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Sajid Javid quits as chancellor

Sajid Javid quits as chancellor

Sajid Javid has shocked Westminster by quitting as chancellor in the middle of Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Javid rejected the prime minister's order to fire his team of aides, saying "no self-respecting minister" could accept such a condition.

He has been replaced as chancellor by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak - who just seven months ago was a junior housing minister.

Mr Javid had been due to deliver his first Budget in four weeks' time.

The former home secretary was appointed chancellor by Mr Johnson when he became prime minister in July.

His resignation follows rumours of tensions between Mr Javid and the prime minister's senior adviser Dominic Cummings.

Mr Javid said his advisers had worked "incredibly hard" and he could not agree to them being replaced.

"I felt I was left with no option but to resign," he said, adding that Mr Sunak and the rest of the government retained his "full support".

In his resignation letter, Mr Javid explained that he could not accept the PM's conditions saying: "I believe it is important as leaders to have trusted teams that reflect the character and integrity that you would wish to be associated with."

Downing Street said there would now be a joint team of economic advisers for both the chancellor and prime minister.

In other reshuffle moves:

Former Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay becomes chief secretary to the Treasury
Paymaster General Oliver Dowden is culture secretary, replacing Baroness Morgan
Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith has been replaced by Home Office Minister Brandon Lewis
Amanda Milling replaces James Cleverly as minister without portfolio and the Conservative Party chairman
Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom and Housing Minister Esther McVey are out of government
Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers is sacked and replaced by George Eustice, who resigned as a minister last year over Theresa May's Brexit plans
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was asked to resign by the PM. He is replaced by former Brexit Minister Suella Braverman

International Development Secretary Alok Sharma has been appointed business secretary and minister for the upcoming climate conference COP26, in Glasgow.

He is being replaced at the international development department by Armed Forces minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

There is a return to government for former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, who becomes paymaster general.

Meanwhile, Mr Cleverly is made a joint minister in the Foreign Office and Department for International Development.

Cabinet members remaining in place include Home Secretary Priti Patel; Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab; Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove; Health Secretary Matt Hancock; International Trade Secretary Liz Truss; Transport Secretary Grant Shapps; Defence Secretary Ben Wallace; Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg; and Chief Whip Mark Spencer.

The reshuffle reduces the number of women in the full cabinet from seven to six.

Mr Johnson is expected to appoint a new minister to oversee the building of the HS2 rail line, final approval for which was given this week.

Meanwhile, a former adviser to Mr Javid said Downing Street had misjudged the reshuffle and that the Budget could be delayed as a result.

Salma Shah told BBC Newscast she thought No 10 estimated Mr Javid would take up an offer to remain in his post, despite a request to fire his team of aides.

Earlier Mr Sunak tweeted that he felt "honoured" to become chancellor, adding that Mr Javid had done a "fantastic job" and been "a pleasure to work with".

Commenting on Mr Javid's resignation, Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: "This must be a historical record with the government in crisis after just over two months in power.

"Dominic Cummings has clearly won the battle to take absolute control of the Treasury and install his stooge as chancellor."

Julian Smith's sacking - weeks after he brokered the deal which restored the power-sharing administration in Stormont - was greeted with shock in Northern Ireland.

The former minister said on Twitter that doing the job had been "the biggest privilege" and he was "extremely grateful" to have been given the chance to serve "this amazing part of our country".

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called Mr Smith "one of Britain's finest politicians of our time".
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×