ASIAN-origin Sajid Javid will remain the Chancellor if the Conservatives win next month’s election.
In an address to business leaders in London on Monday (18), British prime minister Boris Johnson promised that the Treasury will continue to be led by Javid.
Johnson told the Confederation of British Industry conference: “I'm going to give you an absolutely categorical assurance that I will keep Sajid Javid as my chancellor. How about that?
“I think he's a great guy, and I think he is doing a fantastic job, and I'm proud to count him as a colleague.”
British prime minister appointed his one-time Conservative leadership rival as Chancellor earlier this year after entering Downing Street.
However, their relationships strained after Johnson’s chief aide Dominic Cummings unilaterally sacked Javid's adviser for purportedly leaking confidential information to her former boss Philip Hammond.
Javid was reportedly fierce with Cummings and his rapport with Number 10 soured.
Yet, throughout this general election campaign, the prime minister and Javid are exhibiting a unity targeting Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn.
Meanwhile, Javid today tore into Labour's spending plans.
Writing in City AM, he said: “We will all pay the price for their fantasy economics — it will destroy jobs, burn people's hard-earned pension funds and set our nation back.
“Their latest wheeze for 'free' broadband is their most audacious con trick yet.”
During his address, the prime minister declared that he will postpone a scheduled additional cut to corporation tax in order to free up £6 billion to invest in public services.
The current rate of corporation tax is 19 per cent.
Met Office issues yellow weather warnings for wind and rain on Thursday
Low-pressure system could become a named storm, possibly ‘Storm Bram’ or ‘Storm Benjamin’
Forecasters warn of flooding, travel disruption, and potential power cuts
Warnings in place for Thursday
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for wind and rain across large parts of southern and eastern England, as a deepening area of low pressure moves across the UK on Thursday.
Forecasters say the system could bring heavy rainfall and gusts strong enough to cause localised flooding and travel disruption. While the impacts are not expected to be severe enough for the Met Office to name it a storm, other European weather agencies may decide otherwise.
Heavy rain and powerful gusts expected
Rain will begin spreading into southern England late on Wednesday before moving northeast through Thursday. Rainfall totals are expected to reach 20–30mm widely, with some areas, including Devon, Cornwall, and eastern England, seeing 30–50mm or more.
Strong north-westerly winds are forecast to develop, with gusts between 45–55mph (70–90km/h) possible in many areas, and up to 65mph (105km/h) along parts of the east coast.
The Met Office has warned that isolated gusts could briefly reach 75mph (120km/h) later on Thursday, posing a risk of fallen trees, power outages, and further travel delays.
Potential for a named storm
Although the Met Office does not currently expect to name the weather system, neighbouring meteorological agencies could.
If the impacts are greater in northern France or Belgium, Météo France or Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute could designate it as Storm Benjamin, the next on the south-western Europe list.
Alternatively, if the Netherlands determines the system poses greater risks there, it could be named Storm Bram, drawn from the shared naming list used by the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
Meteorological agencies across Europe will coordinate before confirming any name to maintain consistency across forecasts.
Public advised to stay alert
With uncertainty still surrounding the intensity of the low-pressure system, forecasters are urging the public to monitor updates closely and plan for possible travel disruption or power interruptions.
Up-to-date warnings and forecasts are available through the Met Office and BBC Weather channels.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.