Britain's former finance minister quit because a request from premier Boris Johnson to fire his advisers was not in the “national interest”, he told MPs on Wednesday.
Sajid Javid, in his first statement to parliament since stepping down, said the proposed changes to his team were ones he "could not accept in good conscience".
If he had accepted Mr Johnson's changes, Mr Javid would have had no control over who his aides were.
It is widely believed that the Prime Minister's influential senior adviser Dominic Cummings was behind the move.
"A Chancellor, like all cabinet ministers, has to be able to give candid advice so he is speaking truth to power," Mr Javid said.
"I believe that the arrangement proposed would significantly inhibit that and it would not have been in the national interest.
"So while I was grateful for the continued trust of the Prime Minister in wanting to reappoint me, I am afraid that these were conditions that I could not accept in good conscience," he added.
Mr Javid was succeeded by his protege Rishi Sunak.
Britain's then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson walks past number 10, on his way to the Department for Exiting the EU at No 9 in Downing Street in London, June 7, 2018. Reuters
London mayor Boris Johnson salutes photographers as rides a bicycle in front of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, during his visit to Dubai, on April 16, 2013. AFP PHOTO/KARIM SAHIB (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (C-R) and his British counterpart Boris Johnson (C-L) tour the historic quarter of Jeddah on January 25, 2018. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP)
London's Mayor Boris Johnson collides with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children, outside the Tokyo Square Gardens building October 15, 2015. The game was held with the attendance of school children, Nihonbashi, Yaesu and Kyobashi Community Associations and the Street Rugby Alliance to mark Japan hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2019. Johnson is in Japan to lead a trade mission as part of his plans to strengthen cultural ties with Tokyo, with the aim of encouraging investment, job creation and economic growth in London. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron gestures next to London Mayor Boris Johnson while viewing a parade of British Olympic and Paralympic athletes through London September 10, 2012. Tens of thousands of Britons took to the streets of London on Monday to welcome the stars of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and celebrate a summer of sport that surprised even the most optimistic by lifting the national mood.REUTERS/David Davies/POOL (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS POLITICS CITYSPACE)
Former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), and London Mayor Boris Johnson pose for photographers, in London March 31, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS)
London Mayor Boris Johnson blows a vuvuzela during his visit to Waterfront in Cape Town, June 16, 2010 REUTERS/Oleg Popov (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: SPORT SOCCER WORLD CUP POLITICS)
London's mayor Boris Johnson opens the new Westfield London shopping centre in west London October 30, 2008. Thousands of shoppers flocked to west London for the opening of Europe's largest city centre shopping mall on Thursday, but many said they were browsing not buying as they tighten their belts ahead of a looming recession. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor (BRITAIN)
Greek minister for culture Melina Mercouri speaks with President of the Oxford Union society Boris Johnson before she addressed the Union on the subject of the Elgin Marbles. SCANNED FROM NEGATIVE. REUTERS/Brian Smith PN
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Steve Back/ANL/Shutterstock (1340104a)
Viscount Althorp's 21st Birthday Party. Boris Johnson With Sister Rachel Johnson.
Viscount Althorp's 21st Birthday Party. Boris Johnson With Sister Rachel Johnson.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ian Sumner/Shutterstock (5738455b)
Boris Johnson in a pillow fight at Eton School, September 1979
Boris Johnson at Eton School, UK - 1979
He could potentially be the next Prime Minister of Britain but back in 1979 Boris Johnson was nothing more than a schoolboy enjoying himself at Eton. These images show a young 15-year-old Boris engaging in a pillow fight while at the prestigious school. It was the same school that current Prime Minister David Cameron also attended and it would appear that Boris is soon to step into his shoes by becoming both leader of the Conservative Party and the country. We wonder what young Boris, who also sported the same mop of blonder hair that he does today, would have thought of that?
Mayor of London Boris Johnson squeezes onto a children's play rope bridge when he and Prince Harry (not pictured) viewed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park ahead of its opening on Saturday at Stratford in east London April 4, 2014. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor (BRITAIN - Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS SPORT)
Updated: March 10, 2020, 1:13 AM