British Finance Minister Sajid Javid resigned today, in an unexpected move on a day when Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reshuffled his Conservative government.
Javid was widely expected to keep his seat in the reshuffled cabinet, but a spokesman confirmed he had resigned.
Johnson appointed Javid, previously the home secretary, as finance minister in July when he became prime minister.
Javid's resignation comes at an inconvenient time as the annual budget is scheduled to be presented in four weeks, which will now await the new minister.
Shortly after the announcement of Javid's resignation, Rishi Sunak was appointed as the new finance minister. He has been chief secretary at the Treasury since Boris Johnson took office in July 2019.
Javid's resignation followed reports that he had fallen out with powerful Johnson adviser Dominic Cummings.
The BBC's political editor says that Javid was offered to stay on as finance minister on the condition that he fire all his advisers, which he refused and left the post.
Johnson made changes to his government today, firing and appointing ministers in key positions. His goal is to consolidate his control over the government after winning a large parliamentary majority in the December elections. That victory allowed him to implement Britain's exit from the EU on January 31, fulfilling a key election promise.
Johnson's Conservative government now faces an even greater challenge to negotiate a new relationship with the EU's twenty-seven countries by the end of the year. The two sides are seeking to reach a deal covering trade, security and other areas by the end of the post-Brexit transition period on December 31.
Several prominent women in Johnson's government, including business secretary Andrea Leadsham, environment secretary Theresa Villiers and housing minister Esther McVey, said they had been sacked this morning.
Johnson also fired Northern Ireland Minister Julian Smith in an unexpected move. Smith has been praised for helping to break the political deadlock that left Northern Ireland without a government and an assembly for three years.
Justice Secretary Geoffrey Cox also left, saying Johnson had asked him to resign.
In addition to the government reshuffle, Johnson is also expected to appoint a new leader for the UN climate change conference which Britain is hosting later this year. A climate summit is due to take place in Glasgow in November. Planning for the conference got off to a flying start when Johnson last week fired Claire O'Neill, a former cabinet minister appointed last year to chair the event.
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