Petulant Javid needs to return to his roots

WHAT a disappointment the ministerial career of Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid is in danger of becoming.

With his Thatcherite instincts and impressive back story, this self-made millionaire and son of a bus driver appears to have everything going for him and has been talked of as a future Tory leader.

But in the past 12 months his star has fallen. First came the EU referendum, when this most ardent of Eurosceptics fell in line with Project Fear only months after declaring that the costs of membership outweighed the benefits.

In March, as Business Secretary, Mr Javid disappeared on a trip to Australia when thousands of jobs hung in the balance at the Tata steel plant in Port Talbot. He then pulled the same trick last week, despite growing uproar over the iniquitous business rates revaluation. This newspaper, and company owners up and down the country, were asking: ‘Where’s Sajid?’

But after he and Treasury minister David Gauke sent a spectacularly ill-judged letter to Tory MPs that arrogantly dismissed criticisms of the rates review as ‘distortions and half-truths’, perhaps he should have stayed away after all.

Their claim – against all the evidence – that this antediluvian tax is ‘fair’ will have enraged every one of the half-a-million business owners facing rate rises of up to 300 per cent, especially as supermarkets and online retailers are in line for rate cuts.

That Mr Javid sent the letter hoping to reassure his fellow MPs, when some are facing staggering average rate rises in their constituencies, displays a woeful lack of sensitivity.

Indeed, this entire episode has shown him to be worryingly out of touch. Thankfully, there are clear signs a rethink is already under way in the Treasury. It cannot come quickly enough.

As for Mr Javid, he should rediscover his political roots, think twice before sending petulant letters – and start fighting for British business.