THE new Chancellor of the Exchequer has previously ruled out holding indyref2 under any circumstances.
Rishi Sunak was appointed the Government role earlier today after the surprise resignation of Sajid Javid, who had held the position since July 2019 and has never delivered a budget.
Reports suggest Javid was told he could stay on as Chancellor if he had his advisers report to Boris Johnson's chief political strategist Dominic Cummings. However, it seems he wasn't keen on such a level of Number 10 control.
READ MORE: Cabinet reshuffle: Chancellor Sajid Javid quits in blow to Johnson
Richmond MP Sunak, reportedly one of Johnson's favourite ministers, was then given the role.
Sunak, whose wife is the daughter of Indian billionaire and co-founder of the firm Infosys, stood in for Johnson in one of the seven-way General Election debates last year.
Following the election Sunak also appeared on Andrew Marr and was asked about the increase in support for the SNP, which saw the party gain 12 seats.
Conservative Rishi Sunak on #indyref2: It is absolutely 'not our intention' to hold one#Marr https://t.co/wdaKXDWA1H pic.twitter.com/k4M3F6TW9l
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) December 15, 2019
Marr asked if Sunak and the Tory Government would allow a second Scottish independence referendum.
Sunak replied: "The Prime Minister’s been very clear. He is unequivocally committed to the Union, he passionately believes in it, and as you see this new government get to work, strengthening our Union, and levelling up and uniting our country will be at the heart of our agenda."
Marr responded: "So no referendum under any circumstances?"
The then chief secretary to the Treasury said: "That is absolutely not our intention."
The UK Budget is due on March 11. The Scottish Budget should be passed in the first week of March.
The Cabinet reshuffle will continue throughout the day. So far some of the notable changes have included Julian Smith being sacked as Northern Ireland secretary, Andrea Leadsom being dropped as business secretary and Esther McVey losing the housing minister role.
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