Let’s move on from the old school tie crowd, says Javid
Home Secretary pitches himself as the change candidate at leadership campaign launch
‘The problem with much of the Westminster elite, is that they have … never had to fight like the rest of us just to get their foot in the door’
SAJID JAVID said Boris Johnson was “yesterday’s news” as he positioned himself as the “outsider” to the establishment in the leadership race.
In a dig at two of his main rivals – Mr Johnson and Jeremy Hunt – the Home Secretary said the Conservative Party needed to move away from “the same old insiders with the same old school ties”.
Mr Johnson went to Eton College and Mr Hunt was head boy at Charterhouse. Both studied at Oxford, as did Michael Gove. Mr Javid, however, went to a Bristol comprehensive and obtained his degree from Exeter.
Launching his official leadership campaign, Mr Javid said: “The problem with much of the Westminster elite, in all parties, is that they have always been insiders, never had to fight like the rest of us just to get their foot in the door.
“Life dealt them a good hand, and they played it – and I can’t blame them for that. But it wasn’t being born to rule, or having connections, that got me where I am today – it was hard work, public services and my family.”
Mr Javid said he was the “change candidate” while “Boris Johnson is yesterday’s news”. “He’s been around in politics for a while, he’s achieved a lot, he’s still got a big role to play,” he said. “But I think if we are trying to connect with the next generation and move forward as a country, then I think it’s time for the next generation with a bold new agenda.”
Mr Javid, who supported Remain in the EU referendum, has held four Cabinet posts since being elected to Parliament in 2010. He said he planned to secure a new deal with Brussels to leave before Oct 31, while also preparing for a no-deal Brexit.
The Home Secretary’s father moved to the UK from Pakistan in 1961 with “£1 in his pocket” and worked as a bus driver.
Yesterday, Mr Javid spoke about punching a bully who “racially abused” him in school, and that he was told “kids like me should know their limits”. Mr Javid was the first in his family to go to university.
He pursued a career in finance before entering politics, holding senior roles at Chase Manhattan Bank and Deutsche Bank. He said his experience of doing “many multi, multi-billiondollar deals” during his 20-year career in finance would help him negotiate in Brussels.
Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, introduced Mr Javid at the launch.
Ms Davidson, who last year gave birth to her son, Finn, said: “I’m a new mum who needs a pretty big reason right now to jump on a flight and spend extra hours away from my boy. I wouldn’t do it for just anyone.”
She added: “This is a phrase I have not used very often, but he’s the man for me.”
Mr Javid then said he would try to replicate the success Ms Davidson has had in Scotland. “The change she brought to Holyrood is the change I will bring to Westminster,” he said.
Mr Javid said: “For years we were behind in Scotland – we all heard Labour’s joke about the number of pandas north of the border.
“Then the Scottish Tories threw out central casting and picked someone totally different. Someone who made people look at our party again.
“Ruth Davidson brought that change and with her she brought huge gains.”
He warned Tory MPS against choosing a leader “who feels like the shortterm, comfort-zone choice”.
Mr Javid also spoke of his concern at
‘The change [Ruth Davidson] brought to Holyrood is the change I will bring to Westminster’
the “rise of division in politics”, saying: “Some politicians, I’m not talking about anyone in particular, but politicians around the world, think the way to win votes is to exploit division.”
Mr Javid said he would revive the Tories for the future if MPS and members took the “chance to choose another outsider as Prime Minister”.
Tory MPS supporting Mr Javid at the launch included John Glen, the Treasury minister, Robert Halfon, who chairs the education select committee, and Victoria Atkins, the Home Office minister.
Mr Javid’s wife, Laura, watched on from the front row. This week he launched a family-focused campaign video that featured his wife, four children and mother and included the Bristol flat that was his childhood home.