Boris Johnson’s historic cabinet reshuffle will dramatically destabilise the government

Editorial: If the prime minister does not rein in his maverick adviser soon, the resentments built up by such conduct will make the case for him

It turned out to be a historic reshuffle after all. Sajid Javid became the first chancellor of the exchequer since Iain Macleod in 1970 not to deliver a budget. He was plainly pushed out of office by a prime minister keen to use his election victory to take more power for himself and his kitchen cabinet of unelected advisers.

As Mr Javid pointedly said, “no self-respecting minister” could accept the condition laid down by Boris Johnson for his survival in office, namely that he should sack his political advisers and accept replacements appointed by the prime minister. Rishi Sunak, the new chancellor, begins his tenure in that office as the wholly owned subsidiary of the prime minister’s private office.

That has huge implications for the prospects of good government. A strong chancellor is one of the most important checks on prime ministerial power in the British constitution of often informal checks and balances. This is especially true now that the government has a large majority in the House of Commons, as it was in the New Labour years, when Gordon Brown acted as a counterweight to Tony Blair.