There's been a lot of speculation over the last few weeks and months - since the bungled budget, #pastytax and all - about the future of George Osborne at No.11. It hasn't all been Lib Dems saying making it Vince. There are plenty of other names in the ring - Hague, Hammond, even Redwood, all put about by Tory sources and supporters.
Yet in the last 24 hours or so I have seen three well connected and informed political commentators dismiss any notion of the Chancellor moving on.
First Allegra Stratton on Newsnight on Wednesday described any notion that Cameron might move Osborne from next door as 'fanciful'. Then Thursday morning, Donata Huggins in the Telegraph quoted a Tory source as saying
"Those who suggest it (moving Osborne) misunderstand the entire Cameron project. Moving George would be to admit the end of it. The only way George would move from the Treasury is if he decided he wanted to move himself"
Later that same day, Rafael Behr in The New Statesman said
"There was never really any chance of Osborne being moved in the reshuffle. It would be an admission of economic failure on an epic scale and he is too close to Cameron"
And that's just 3 I've picked up on.
So the word is out. Osborne is staying as Chancellor.
But presumably this also tells us that of his two roles, 'master Tory Strategist' is the one that is shifting.
Still plenty of jostling going on in the Tories over the summer I suspect.
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