<p>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to have been furious over a letter being leaked to the media last week, which claimed his Chancellor Rishi Sunak had written to push for easier international Covid-19 travel norms ahead of a planned review.</p>.<p>The reaction followed media reports that the Indian-origin finance minister had written to his boss, calling for a significant easing of the coronavirus travel restrictions, warning that they were damaging the economy.</p>.<p>According to The Sunday Times, which reported on the letter last Sunday, Johnson is said to have been “apoplectic” with anger and even suggested a demotion for Sunak from the powerful Treasury department to take charge of Health.</p>.<p>“The problem was that the first Johnson knew of the letter was when details of it appeared in the media,” the report said.</p>.<p>Quoting a senior source from a meeting, it said that Johnson then went on to say in the presence of around a dozen officials that he had been thinking about a change.</p>.<p>“‘Maybe it’s time we looked at Rishi as the next Secretary of State for Health. He could potentially do a very good job there.’ In an open meeting, after ranting about Rishi, he then suggested the Chancellor could be demoted in the next reshuffle,” the source said.</p>.<p>The newspaper pointed out that Johnson is known for his “off-the-cuff” remarks, often made in jest.</p>.<p>While Downing Street refused to comment on “private conversations”, allies of Sunak insisted he remains focussed on his current brief to revive the Covid-hit UK economy.</p>.<p>“The Chancellor is solely focused on securing the country’s economic recovery and continuing to protect and create jobs,” ITV News quoted a Treasury Department source as saying.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Sunak is preparing for a tough budget, known as the autumn Spending Review, in the coming weeks.</p>.<p>There have been reports of how this has put him on a collision course with his boss Johnson, who is determined on spending on projects while budgets remain constrained due to the costs incurred due to the pandemic.</p>.<p>Reports of clashes between No. 10 and No. 11 Downing Street – the office of the UK Prime Minister and Chancellor respectively – have been doing the rounds for some time, amid the economic pressures triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.</p>.<p>However, it is generally believed that a Cabinet reshuffle is not on the cards for the coming months.</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to have been furious over a letter being leaked to the media last week, which claimed his Chancellor Rishi Sunak had written to push for easier international Covid-19 travel norms ahead of a planned review.</p>.<p>The reaction followed media reports that the Indian-origin finance minister had written to his boss, calling for a significant easing of the coronavirus travel restrictions, warning that they were damaging the economy.</p>.<p>According to The Sunday Times, which reported on the letter last Sunday, Johnson is said to have been “apoplectic” with anger and even suggested a demotion for Sunak from the powerful Treasury department to take charge of Health.</p>.<p>“The problem was that the first Johnson knew of the letter was when details of it appeared in the media,” the report said.</p>.<p>Quoting a senior source from a meeting, it said that Johnson then went on to say in the presence of around a dozen officials that he had been thinking about a change.</p>.<p>“‘Maybe it’s time we looked at Rishi as the next Secretary of State for Health. He could potentially do a very good job there.’ In an open meeting, after ranting about Rishi, he then suggested the Chancellor could be demoted in the next reshuffle,” the source said.</p>.<p>The newspaper pointed out that Johnson is known for his “off-the-cuff” remarks, often made in jest.</p>.<p>While Downing Street refused to comment on “private conversations”, allies of Sunak insisted he remains focussed on his current brief to revive the Covid-hit UK economy.</p>.<p>“The Chancellor is solely focused on securing the country’s economic recovery and continuing to protect and create jobs,” ITV News quoted a Treasury Department source as saying.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Sunak is preparing for a tough budget, known as the autumn Spending Review, in the coming weeks.</p>.<p>There have been reports of how this has put him on a collision course with his boss Johnson, who is determined on spending on projects while budgets remain constrained due to the costs incurred due to the pandemic.</p>.<p>Reports of clashes between No. 10 and No. 11 Downing Street – the office of the UK Prime Minister and Chancellor respectively – have been doing the rounds for some time, amid the economic pressures triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.</p>.<p>However, it is generally believed that a Cabinet reshuffle is not on the cards for the coming months.</p>