PM and I aren’t best buddies, admits Javid
... and I never called myself The Saj!
‘I still feel like an outsider’
HOME Secretary Sajid Javid has spoken of his difficult relationship with Theresa May – admitting: ‘ We’re not the best of buddies’.
The two top figures have clashed repeatedly over immigration with Mr Javid favouring a more liberal approach.
He believes the PM’s target to slash net migration to below 100,000 a year is unachievable and counter-productive.
Revealing the tension at the top of Government, he said: ‘We’re not the best of buddies. But then that’s not my objective. The Cabinet functions well when you’ve got good people around the table who take their jobs seriously and you’ve got a Prime Minister who gives it her all.’
Mr Javid, 49, who is seen as one of the favourites to succeed Mrs May, also laughed off claims he refers to himself pompously as ‘The Saj’ – a rumour his allies believe was put around by potential rivals.
He insisted: ‘I’ve never called myself The Saj. But I’ve noticed a lot of people do. I was even thinking of changing my Twitter handle to The Saj.’
Mr Javid, whose bus driver father came to the UK from Pakistan with just £1 in his pocket, also admitted he still feels like an ‘outsider’ despite rising to one of the highest offices in the land.
He explained: ‘It would probably sound strange sitting here as Home Secretary [to say] that you sometimes feel a little bit like an outsider, but I guess it is a bit like that still.’
The politician, who was born in Rochdale, and went to a comprehensive school near Bristol, was a top City banker on a reputed £3million a year before becoming an MP in 2010.
The Home Secretary has been a trailblazer for ethnic minorities in the Tory Party and a champion of the idea that migrant communities should integrate. But, in a frank interview with the Financial Times, he revealed that he was warned against marrying Laura, his white wife of more than 20 years, because of her skin colour.
The couple, who have four children, met while he was a summer placement at insurance company Commercial Union. Recalling his chat-up line, he said he told her: ‘Look, I’m only going to give you this stapler if you have a tuna sandwich with me or something.’
But as romance blossomed he was warned against a mixedrace relationship. He remembered: ‘People would say, “Are you sure you want to marry her? It could be difficult. She’s white. don’t you think you should stick to your own kind?”.’ Mr Javid revealed that prejudice also dogged his early career. He said he was advised at school to pursue a job as a TV repair man and was steered away from City banks. He added: ‘ People said I should think about high street banking. “The City is going to be a bit tough – you don’t really have the background.”’
The MP, who is thought to have been taking lessons to improve his public speaking, also conceded he needed to work on his oratory. He stressed: ‘I think it’s something I can invest more in and think more about because communication is key as a politician.’
Mr Javid, a Eurosceptic who backed Remain in the 2016 referendum, has faced suspicion from Brexiteers, who claim he gave into pressure from then Chancellor George Osborne. But he insisted his stance had not been a mistake, saying: ‘I don’t regret my decision at all.’