Revealed: George Osborne’s plan to become Foreign Secretary

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[/audioplayer]Confidence is coursing through Downing Street at the moment. The economy is growing at a good clip and senior Tories feel more optimistic than ever about the result of the next general election. With this belief in retaining office comes more thought about what a second-term Cameron government would have to do. Minds are also turning to the question of how the top team should be reshaped after the general election.

Politically, one issue towers above all others: Europe. Within 18 months of being re-elected, the government will have to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership and put them to a referendum. This timetable means that the European question would dominate the start of any secondCameron term.

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Julie Burchill

Will I ever pee again?

I understand that George Osborne is lining himself up to take on this challenge, to become Foreign Secretary. One of those familiar with his thinking on the matter says, by way of explanation, ‘George likes to be where the action is’.

It is hard to imagine Osborne not wanting to be central to the policy that would determine the success or otherwise of a second Conservative term. As Chancellor, he is already involved in EU policy. But moving to King Charles Street would enable him to devote all of his considerable political energies to the matter.

There are several reasons why this move makes sense. Osborne is Cameron’s problem-solver and the Prime Minister will have no bigger problem to solve in his second term than how to obtain an EU deal that is acceptable to the bulk of the Conservative party. Then there’s the fact that the political success of the renegotiation would require the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary to march in lockstep.