LONDON — Sajid Javid, Britain’s chancellor of the Exchequer and the country’s top finance official, resigned on Thursday, the biggest surprise of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle.
Mr. Johnson and his Conservative Party are seeking to define the political direction of a government that faces few constraints after a landslide election victory in December. Even though his party has been in power for a decade, the reshuffle was a chance to freshen its profile and to give the sense of a government moving forward after three years of Brexit paralysis.
The first changes came Thursday morning, with Julian Smith, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, saying he would be leaving the government. His departure was also something of a surprise, given that he had gained widespread praise for helping bring to an end the political stalemate that had left Northern Ireland without a regional government for three years.
Over the course of several hours, top officials from a range of government ministries took to Twitter to announce that they would be leaving, including Geoffrey Cox, who as attorney general gave legal advice that complicated the efforts of Theresa May, Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, to leave the European Union.
Esther McVey, the housing minister, made it clear that she would have liked to remain in her position but said Mr. Johnson would continue to have her “support from the backbenches”; Andrea Leadsom confirmed on Twitter that she would be leaving as business secretary; and Theresa Villiers said she had been fired as environment secretary, writing on Facebook that “what the prime minister giveth, the prime minister taketh away.”
Chris Skidmore, the minister of state for universities, science, research and innovation, wrote that he had “got a promotion” in the reshuffle to spend more time with his new baby.
Mr. Javid had been expected to remain in his position, but his departure was announced after a meeting with Mr. Johnson. The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, and the home secretary, Priti Patel, were expected to hang on to their positions.
With several female ministers losing their jobs, the gender balance of the new leadership team will be closely watched.
There will also be considerable interest Mr. Johnson’s decision on the fate of Michael Gove, currently chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. One of the most high-profile supporters of Brexit, Mr. Gove campaigned for a British departure from the European Union alongside Mr. Johnson in the 2016 referendum campaign, but their friendship then fell apart in spectacular fashion.
In the days after the 2016 vote, Mr. Gove sabotaged Mr. Johnson’s first, unsuccessful, bid to become prime minister, paving the way for Mrs. May to take the job instead.
Mr. Johnson finally succeeded her last year and has promised to address the discontent of many of those who feel left behind economically, particularly in the middle and north of England.
A significant number of voters in these areas switched from the Labour Party to support the Conservatives in December, ensuring Mr. Johnson’s victory in the general election.
Earlier this week the prime minister gave the go-ahead to a high speed rail link connecting London to cities in the middle and north of England and costing more than $130 billion.
That project had been criticized by Mr. Johnson’s adviser Dominic Cummings, who has reputation for a pugilistic approach and argued for big changes to the structure of government and a culling of the number of cabinet ministers.
Such drastic surgery now seems unlikely, a fact that appears to underscore the limits of the influence of Mr. Cummings who has recently lost several internal battles.
Some more modest changes to the structure of the ministries is expected, in particular the departure of Nicky Morgan, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport. Ms Morgan, who is a member of the unelected House of Lords, was kept in the job as a stopgap following last year’s general election.
Stephen Barclay was expected to return to the cabinet after leaving at the end of January because of the closure of his department, which was responsible for exiting the European Union.
Ministers who are expected to be promoted include Oliver Dowden, minister for the Cabinet Office, and Rishi Sunak, chief secretary to the Treasury.
The new cabinet is expected to meet for the first time on Friday, and observers will be watching to see if the political balance of the cabinet changes and whether there is a clearer sense of Mr. Johnson’s priorities.
The pool of talent is limited, however, because the Brexit process took a huge toll on the Conservative Party. Several prominent members were frozen out of the party after opposing Mr. Johnson’s hard-line approach to Brexit, and other experienced ministers decided not to run for re-election in December.
Source : Nytimes
