Shock as chancellor and business secretary leave cabinet

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has resigned and Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has been sacked.

Richmond MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak has replaced Javid as Chancellor.

The shock news came as Boris Johnson announced his first post-Brexit cabinet reshuffle, just a few weeks before the Chancellor was due to deliver his first Budget.

The BBC reported that Javid refused a request from Downing Street to sack his aides, and quoted him as stating that “no self-respecting minister” could have assented to the proposal.

Javid become MP for Bromsgrove in 2010 after a career in banking. He has also served as Home Secretary.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said there had been “unhappiness” between Javid’s team and Downing Street for some time – a suggestion that would appear to be confirmed by today’s announcement.

South Northamptonshire MP Leadsom, meanwhile, was leader of the House of Commons before becoming Business Secretary last summer.

Reacting to her dismissal, she tweeted: “It has been a real privilege to serve in government for the last six years, and in @beisgovuk for six months. I now look forward to focusing on my constituents and on my 20+ year campaign to see every baby get the best start in life.”