Is Sajid Javid at war with No. 10?

When Boris Johnson oversees his first post-election reshuffle in the coming days, just one of his ministers has been publicly promised that they will stay put: Sajid Javid. Yet this seeming endorsement does not mean the pair have an entirely harmonious relationship. That announcement, made during the general election campaign, was done partly because there was so much speculation that Javid would be fired that it was becoming an unnecessary distraction.

Javid’s relationship with No. 10 has been widely scrutinised since he got the job. That bond between a prime minister and their chancellor has the potential to define a premiership – Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s tempestuous relations eventually consumed them both, while David Cameron and George Osborne were striking for how their loyalty endured even in testing moments. Johnson and Javid’s relationship is rarely written up as a spar between heavyweights or a great meeting of minds – very early on there were reports of strain.