Javid will stand down as MP amid growing Tory exodus

SAJID JAVID has announced that he will not be standing at the next election, calling time on his parliamentary career and adding to a recent rush of Tory MPS quitting politics.

The MP for Bromsgrove announced the news in a letter to his local Conservative Party association, which he tweeted out on Friday, admitting he had “wrestled” with the decision. Mr Javid, 55, has held six cabinet positions, including two great offices of state – heading up the Treasury and the Home Office – and ran for the Tory leadership twice, in 2019 and this summer.

The decision by such an experienced minister to leave politics will be seen as a signal that some on the Tory benches believe that election defeat is looming.

Recent polls have put the Labour Party 20 percentage points ahead of the Conservatives, who sank to record polling lows after Liz Truss’s mini-budget backfired this autumn.

On Thursday the Tories suffered their worst election result in the constituency of Chester since 1832, getting just 22 per cent of the vote, as Labour won the byelection there, extending its majority.

Mr Javid’s announcement that he will not stand again follows a flurry of other Tory MPS doing likewise in the past fortnight, ahead of a Monday deadline for decisions set by party bosses.

Many are relatively young for MPS. Dehenna Davison, 29, William Wragg, 34, and Chloe Smith, 40, have all said in recent weeks that they will stand down.

Mr Javid will remain as an MP until the next general election, which is expected to be held in 2024.

Mr Javid wrote in his letter that being an MP and serving in government “has been the privilege of my life”.

Rishi Sunak tweeted that he was saddened by the decision of his “good friend”. The Prime Minister described Mr Javid as “a proud champion of enterprise and opportunity” and added: “May the Force be with you, Saj.”