The chancellor who never had the chance to deliver a budget was a ‘victim of payback’
SAJID JAVID made history as the first British-asian chancellor – but may now be remembered as the second to never deliver a Budget.
He was in the Treasury for barely more than six months, the shortestserving chancellor since Iain Macleod, who died shortly after taking office in 1970. Mr Javid had his time in No11 coloured by tensions with Downing Street, namely Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser.
One MP yesterday told The Daily Telegraph: “A lot of this goes back to Vote Leave. He was seen as quite Eurosceptic, then came out for
Remain.” Once an outspoken Eurosceptic, Mr Javid embraced Remain under Theresa May, arguing about the effects of Brexit on business.
When he took over as chancellor on July 24, he focused his energy on stepping up no-deal planning and was keen to change the Treasury image away from Philip Hammond’s “Beating heart of Remain” department.
However, the source said this did not convince the Vote Leave crowd that populated No10. “They still see him as a traitor,” the MP said. “Some of this is payback.”
Mr Javid was born in Rochdale. Abdul Ghani-javid, his father, arrived in the UK in 1961 from Pakistan with a £1 note in his pocket and worked as a bus driver and cotton-mill worker before opening a shop selling clothes.
Mr Javid was one of five brothers growing up packed into a two-bed flat in Bristol, living above the family shop.
He was the first in his family to go to university, studying economics and politics at Exeter. Then he pursued a career in finance, first at Chase Manhattan Bank, then Deutsche Bank.
In 2010, he was elected as an MP, reportedly giving up a rumoured £3million salary for just under £66,000 a year. His first ministerial job, as economic secretary to the Treasury, came in 2012, and his second, as the financial secretary, in 2013. Mr Javid’s first Cabinet job was as culture secretary in 2014, moving to business a year later, housing in 2016 and then home secretary in 2018.
From day one as chancellor, Mr Javid was keen to dispel rumours of rifts with No10. He had known Mr Johnson since his days as mayor of London, working with him on the Olympic legacy while culture secretary.
He is also close to Carrie Symonds, Mr Johnson’s girlfriend.
However, reports of a split with No10 emerged. A month in as chancellor, Mr Cummings sacked Sonia Khan, Mr Javid’s media adviser. There were also rumours of him not being kept in the loop on the decision to cancel the November budget.
A source close to Mr Javid said last night: “They wanted to take control of the whole operation.
“There was going to be a whole new set-up and they wanted to be in charge of it. Sajid didn’t know it was coming and said no.”