Opinion Matrix: Reshuffle shocks and power balance

The Daily Telegraph

It's editorial says it is a matter of regret that he did not see it coming and adapt accordingly.

It said: "Mr Javid is a bright political talent, but his brief record as chancellor did not reflect that potential. This newspaper has warned for weeks that the Government has everything going for it except for an economic policy. To make matters worse, word slipped out of the Treasury that policies were on the table for the next Budget that ought never to go near it, such as a raid on pensions or even mansion tax.

" It was then up to the then Chancellor to shoot these rumours down. He did not. Some reached the conclusion that Mr Javid had fallen prey to Treasury groupthink, that caught between Mr Johnson's plans and the established fiscal rules, Mr Javid had been persuaded by civil servants to consider socialist measures that even the last Labour government would never have touched.

"If true then this pattern of institutional capture is exactly why Mr Johnson and Dominic Cummings have chosen to go to war on Whitehall. If they want to get anything done, they have no choice."

The Times

In his column Philip Collins writes that Mr Johnson has rewarded the cabinet's second-raters while removing anyone who might challenge his authority.

He said: "Take back control. Get Javid Gone. In a petulant reshuffle empty of purpose, the school bullies showed the junior form who's boss. Three months ago Boris Johnson gave the CBI a categorical guarantee that Sajid Javid would remain as chancellor of the exchequer. Now he has gone for no less a reason than that the prime minister's consigliere Dominic Cummings wanted to consolidate his power base. The consequence is a cabinet full of cartoon characters, which is just as Mr Cummings wants it.

"It is always telling when a prime minister goes out of his way to appoint the C-team. One of the temperamental traits that will make Mr Johnson a weak premier is that, like many people prone to displays of bravura, he is tormented by the fear that he is not up to the job."

The Scotsman

The paper's editorial suggests there are worrying signs for One-Nation Tories.

It said: "There are rumours that tensions between Cummings and Sajid Javid led to the Chancellor's shock resignation, just four weeks before the UK Budget. Sources claimed Javid had refused to fire his own special advisers and replace them with ones sent from Number 10."

The paper's editorial goes on to mention other high profile departures including Andrea Leadsom, Geoffrey Cox and Julian Smith.

It added: "The concern about such changes is that they suggest Johnson is no longer the One Nation Tory that he has been in the past and that he is demanding loyalty to an excessive degree - a sign of weakness, not strength. Members of the Cabinet should be signed up to broad policy objectives, but they should not fear losing their jobs if they have specific disagreements with the boss.

"And, to be clear, that boss is Johnson, not Cummings, and the buck stops with him."

The Guardian

Polly Toynbee writes in her column that "this revenge reshuffle shows absolute power resides in No 10."

She said: "The message of this reshuffle is a nasty and dangerous one: absolute power resides in just one place, No 10.The Treasury, which strove to protect the nation's finances against the worst damages of Brexit, is a diminished force - for now. Attempts to thwart Johnson's reckless plans - whether branded super-bridges or Brexit vanity projects - will be overridden. If Whitehall joked that Javid was "chino" - chancellor in name only- his successor can expect even less respect.

"Although the power of Cummings now seems unprecedented, seasoned observers are waiting for him to overstep the mark. No one is indispensable, a truism of prime ministerial power. The prime minister will be quick to jettison anyone imperilling his popularity, including his svengali."