Javid: Asians say I’m not brown enough
SAJID JAVID said he faced abuse daily on social media from Asians and the “far-left” because he was “not brown enough”, as he gave a strong hint he would stand in the race to succeed Theresa May.
The Home Secretary said that he received racist abuse on social media on a daily basis and that “they don’t like me because of my colour”.
Mr Javid is one of the frontrunners to succeed Mrs May, who is under pressure from her backbenchers to set a clear “roadmap” for her exit. So far she has said she will stand down once a Brexit deal has been agreed.
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Mrs May has agreed to meet the 1922 Committee’s 18-strong executive on Thursday morning in a move to force her to commit to an exit timetable.
In an interview with Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast, Mr Javid said: “If you look at social media on any day, especially Twitter or something, I’m getting abuse every day and I get it, I actually get it from the Left. You know, the far-left, including lots of Asians who would say, ‘He’s not brown enough’. I get it from the Right and the far-right in particular, saying ‘He’s too brown’.”
He added: “I think in Britain anyone who’s capable, regardless of whether they’re Muslim or Hindu, for that matter, or any other religion or no religion, can be Prime Minister.”
Mr Javid also gave a clear hint that he wants to succeed Mrs May, saying: “You’ll have to wait and see.”
On Brexit, he said: “We could lose Brexit altogether if PM’S deal is not passed by October.”
Separately, Boris Johnson said in a speech in Scotland yesterday that allowing a second vote on Brexit would open the door to a vote on Scottish independence. He said: “By undermining the verdict of the EU referendum they are undermining the decision of 2014 and they are doing the work of the SNP and they are threatening the Union.”
Matt Hancock, a third leadership candidate, disclosed that his grandmother forged her birth certificate and passport to make her appear a decade younger so she could keep working.