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SAJ SET FOR NO11
SAJID Javid was last night preparing to become Britain’s new Chancellor and the first Asian to hold the 11 Downing Street post.
The current Home Secretary was set to be the biggest winner of Boris Johnson’s first Cabinet reshuffle today.
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The new Tory leader aims to appoint a record number of black and Asian MPs around his top table, with right-wing Priti Patel poised to succeed Mr Javid.
Allies of Mr Javid say they are “confident” he has won the race for the Treasury, beating rivals Liz Truss and Matt Hancock.
The future of other senior ministers hung in the balance last night, with secretive Boris keeping even close pals in the dark.
One ally warned the success of the reshuffle hangs on whether he goes ahead with his desire to remove Jeremy Hunt from the Foreign Office.
Last night sources claimed Boris offered Mr Hunt the job of Defence Secretary, but he turned it down.
The pair are now in a stand-off, with Mr Hunt said to be holding out for his current job as Foreign Secretary.
An insider said: "He told Boris it's Foreign Secretary or nothing."
“If he doesn’t demote him to somewhere like the Home Office, the whole reshuffle could go badly wrong very quickly.”
Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt have been tipped to replace Mr Hunt.
Promoting either prominent Leaver would fulfil Boris’s pledge during The Sun’s leadership debate last week to appoint at least one woman into one of the four great offices of state.
'CABINET FOR MODERN BRITAIN'
At least four black and Asian Tory MPs will be invited to join Mr Johnson’s top table, with Priti Patel, Alok Sharma and James Cleverly joining Mr Javid.
Rising Tory star Rishi Sunek is also in the running for a Cabinet job.
Boris will also boost the number of women who are full Cabinet members, from Theresa May’s current five.
Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is expected to make a return to the Cabinet, possibly as Northern Ireland Secretary, along with Andrea Leadsom.
Aides of the new Tory boss last night dubbed it “a Cabinet for modern Britain”.
A source close to Mr Johnson said: “Boris will build a Cabinet showcasing all the talents within the party that truly reflect modern Britain.”
It has emerged that Boris quietly made the first appointment to his Cabinet last week, appointing Deputy Commons Leader Mark Spencer into the key role of Chief Whip to help him pick his top team.
A little known but well-liked backroom operator, Mr Spencer campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum but has wide respect across all Tory factions.
Outgoing chief whip Julian Smith is likely to stay on in the Cabinet, but on a demotion to a role as a mid-ranking minister of state.
Boris’s brother Jo, who resigned as Universities Minister over Brexit, is also tipped for a senior Government job.
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Younger Tory MPs also set to be promoted include Oliver Dowden, Robert Jenrick and Tracey Crouch, who resigned as sports minister last year in a row with Theresa May about fixed odds betting terminals.
It also emerged yesterday that Mr Johnson appointed a senior executive at TV company Sky as his business adviser in Downing Street.
Sky’s finance boss Andrew Griffith takes on the role after lending Boris his £9.5m Westminster townhouse to use as an office during the leadership campaign.
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