UK Edition
Rishi Sunak named successor number two amid claims Michael Gove was 'deliberately' overlooked
Chancellor will deputise for Prime Minister if Dominic Raab falls ill, despite earlier suggestions Mr Gove would be next in line
Rishi Sunak has been named as Boris Johnson's second "designated successor" amid claims that Michael Gove was overlooked due to question marks over his loyalty.
With Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, continuing to deputise for the Prime Minister, Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday that the Chancellor would step in should Mr Raab also become incapacitated.
However, despite facing calls to set out a clear chain of command, Mr Johnson's spokesman refused to expand further, saying only that there was a list of ministers waiting in the wings.
"There is an established order of precedence. The Prime Minister has appointed the Foreign Secretary as his First Secretary of State," he added. "In line with the order of precedence, the Chancellor would follow from the Foreign Secretary."
Should Mr Raab be forced to step aside it would constitute another remarkable elevation for Mr Sunak, 39, who only became Chancellor in February.
Just one year ago, the former investment banker, who was only elected in 2015, was serving as the most junior minister in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The decision also appeared to defy the widespread expectation among MPs that Mr Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, would be next in line to deputise for Mr Johnson.
Speaking to The Telegraph on Tuesday, one minister claimed the decision to snub Mr Gove in favour of the Chancellor had been "pretty deliberate".
Although Mr Gove has mended relations with Mr Johnson after notoriously ending his leadership campaign in 2016, allies of the Prime Minister continue to eye his former running mate turned rival with suspicion.
"Even before he had been diagnosed with coronavirus, there was a message from Number 10 that Dom would be his deputy,” the minister said. "The relationship between the two of them is very strong, and you know with Dom that he plays with a straight bat.
"That's probably the big difference, and for Rishi, too. Boris is no fool, he gets this stuff probably better than any other politician I know. It clearly factored into his thinking and is deliberate in that sense."
Echoing the comments, a Whitehall source said: "There's nothing formal about it [the line of succession]. It's typically British, it's patronage and relationships.
"Raab is not leading things because of some form of constitutional line of succession. It has been decided because the PM likes and trusts him enough to make him First Secretary of State. Rishi and Raab are in the same boat."
A Cabinet source added: "The Prime Minister decides the Cabinet order of precedence, and it is not dependent on departmental responsibility."
Responding, an ally of Mr Gove suggested he had never expected to be ranked above either the Foreign Secretary or the Chancellor.
The ally also pointed that Mr Gove is currently self-isolating after one of his family members developed symptoms of coronavirus.