One of George Osborne’s political skills is his ability to put together a talented team. Few politicians spend longer thinking about who to have working for them. But post-election, Osborne is going to need to reshuffle his own, personal operation. For Rupert Harrison, his able economic adviser is off and now, I learn, that his press secretary Ramesh Chhabra is leaving too. It is no surprise that they are going now, the Treasury team has been on the political front-line pretty much every day for the past five years.
Osborne poached Chhabra seven years ago when his boss David Davis resigned. Since then Chhabra has worked tirelessly on Osborne’s behalf. The good print press that the Chancellor has received in recent years is down, in large part, to Chhabra’s work. He has planned the rollout of the last few Budgets to the newspapers, ensuring that the right papers get the right messages. Inside the Osborne operation, they also credit him with an ability to kill off bad stories or ensure that the damage they cause is limited.
After some time off, Chhabra is expected to move into the private sector. I suspect that his replacement will come from within Westminster, there are a slew of Tory advisers who he has mentored over the years.
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