The underlying tension between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers is such that people read between every line for the smallest snub. So when Albanese implied, speaking to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) on Tuesday, that the government’s partial retreat over the Australian Taxation Office’s ban on small businesses paying tax by credit card was all his doing, observers jumped on it. Albanese was responding to ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar, who praised the prime minister for listening and acting quickly on the problem. Albanese responded, “Andrew did text me last Thursday morning and by Friday morning we had an announcement”. He made no mention of Chalmers’ part in the turnaround, which has delayed the ban until the middle of next year.Inevitably, on Wednesday the treasurer was asked, were you rolled by the prime minister?Chalmers denied this, and spelled out in detail the timetable behind the switch. He said he and Albanese had discussed the issue on Wednesday last week. “He had a view, and I agree with it, that we needed to step in to provide this longer-term transition period. […] We had the same view,” Chalmers told reporters.He said there’d been discussions with business on Thursday, then on Friday he and Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino took the proposed change to ministers. Most likely Albanese’s dinner remark was a combination of wanting to flatter ACCI, plus some shorthanded hubris. In substance, it didn’t amount to a put-down of Chalmers. He didn’t realise at the time that he’d said anything provocative.But the perception was bad for a government in which the prime minister and especially the treasurer are under great pressure over very difficult economic circumstances and the lingering bitter aftertaste of their controversial budget. It was easy pickings for the opposition. In question time, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor claimed Albanese had been forced to “step in and clean up” Chalmers’ “botched” handling of the credit card issue. “How much more humiliation does the treasurer have to endure before the prime minister puts him out of his misery and sacks him?”Albanese reprised the decision-making process, before pivoting (as the government has all week) to former treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s book tour. Still, Chalmers did not look happy during question time.We all know prime ministerial-treasurer relationships often follow a familiar path, notably when the treasurer is ambitious to succeed the prime minister. Hawke and Keating. Howard and Costello. From the start, there has been competitive tension in the Albanese-Chalmers relationship in government. Early on, Chalmers pressed to rework the tax cuts inherited from the Morrison government. Albanese refused, unwilling to break an election promise not to do so. Much later, he acquiesced. Chalmers was set on pursuing substantial tax reform this term, despite Albanese ruling out key changes before the election. He secured the prime minister’s backing to do so, although the breach of promises came at a political cost for Albanese. Strangely, shortly before the budget, in a leaked story, Albanese seemed to be preemptively taking credit for the measures, which would end up inviting a big backlash. This story would have had Chalmers wondering.Since the budget, however, Albanese and Chalmers have stood solidly together in the face of a barrage of criticism from business and many commentators of a range of budget measures. This week the fight is about the legislation for tougher tax treatment of trusts, introduced on Wednesday. The ins and outs of the Albanese-Chalmers relationship is in the wider context of the positioning for the succession. The general firm expectation in Labor is that Albanese will contest the 2028 election. But succession talk can be years ahead of the time it happens. In government circles, the chatter was underway even in the first term. Then, the speculation had Chalmers, Tony Burke and Richard Marles as the main candidates. The most interesting development of the past few months is that Health Minister Mark Butler has not only entered the list of those to watch, but would probably be regarded by many right now as the leading contender. Butler is, like Albanese, from the left. He is one of the small and tight group – which also includes Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Industry Minister Tim Ayres and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher – closest to Albanese. Butler’s name has come up a lot recently in the media in relation to future leadership. It was thought previously he was not ambitious for the top job, but now it’s obvious that either this was wrong or his thinking has changed. A prime minister is usually happiest when there are several candidates vying for the succession. That can provide the incumbent with added security. But when it is time for him to leave, Albanese would like to have a hand, directly or indirectly, in who follows him. His choice would be a left-wing close ally. Butler, in his eyes, would fit the bill nicely.Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.