Sajid Javid most prominent Tory MP to announce exit at the next election
Former Cabinet minister Sajid Javid has become the most prominent Conservative MP yet to announce he is stepping back at the next general election, shortly after the party was stung by another midterm defeat.
The ex-chancellor and health secretary did not give a reason for his exit, saying only that he had “wrestled” with the choice for “some time”, and pledged to continue to support the Prime Minister “in any way I can”.
He said his decision had been “accelerated” by the fact Conservatives have been asked to confirm their intentions for contending the next nationwide poll at an “early stage”.
He joins a steady stream of colleagues saying they will not run at the next vote, which will be no later than January 2025, including Chloe Smith, William Wragg and rising star Dehenna Davison. Former business secretary Jacob Rees-mogg warned against “drawing too much” from the “relatively small” number of Conservatives taking their leave from the political stage. He also said he does not anticipate a greater risk of rebellion from those opting to step down at the next general election.
“If you’ve had a successful
career in Parliament and now you’re drawing it to a close, I would have thought your natural default position would be to be loyal and not to cause trouble,” he said.
Fellow senior Tory Alicia Kearns said she expects to see “significant change to the make-up of Parliament” following the next vote, but rejected the idea that colleagues are staring at the opposition benches wishing for a new job.
Mr Javid, who also previously served in the prominent Cabinet role of home secretary, said he was “very proud” of his work in Parliament and Government. He said the decision would not mark the end of his parliamentary activity, particularly for those causes he cares about “deeply”, nor will it impact his current duties as an MP.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to his “good friend”, with whom he shares a love of
Star Wars, by saying: “May the Force be with you, Saj.”
Mr Sunak tweeted: “Sad to see my good friend @sajidjavid stepping back from politics. He’s been a proud champion of enterprise and opportunity during his time in Government and on the backbenches, particularly for the people of Bromsgrove.”
In a letter to the Bromsgrove Conservative Association, Mr Javid wrote: “Being the local MP and serving in government has been the privilege of my life and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve. I always sought to make decisions in the national interest and in line with my values, and I can only hope my best was sufficient.
“I will, of course, continue to support my friend the Prime Minister and the people of Bromsgrove in any way I can.”
His announcement came shortly after the Tories suffered a mid-term defeat in the City of Chester by-election, in Mr Sunak’s first electoral test in the top job.
Sir Keir Starmer hailed the victory for Labour, claiming it demonstrates the public are “fed up” with the current Government.
Mr Javid has had an extensive career in Government, serving in six Cabinet roles, and becoming the first British Asian to hold one of the great offices of state. He entered the Commons as the MP for Bromsgrove in May 2010 with a majority of more than 11,000 and has increased his share of the vote in every election since.
He has also put himself forward for the Tory leadership twice, most recently over the summer, when he bowed out of the contest after apparently failing to garner enough support from fellow MPS.
In the wake of a series of scandals engulfing Mr Johnson’s leadership, including Partygate, Mr Javid published an explosive resignation letter in July of this year, declaring that he had lost confidence in the then-prime minister.
Its release, minutes apart from Mr Sunak’s resignation letter, effectively kickstarted a slew of ministerial departures that ultimately led to Mr Johnson’s demise.
And that was not the first time he had quit the Government. Mr Javid left his chancellor role abruptly in 2020 after being told he must sack all his advisers if he wished to keep his job.
Mr Javid is the son of a bus driver who arrived in England from Pakistan in the 1960s with just a pound in his pocket.
Born in Rochdale and raised in Bristol, he went to a state school and studied economics and politics at Exeter University.
He left behind a career in finance to become Bromsgrove’s MP.
After being made home secretary in April 2018, Mr Javid talked openly about how he experienced racism at an early age and “could have had a life of crime” after growing up on “Britain’s most dangerous street”.
His appointment to the role made him the first British Asian to hold one of the great offices of state.
Mr Javid, who supported Remain in 2016, made his first run at the Tory leadership in 2019.
He made it to the final four in the contest to replace Theresa May but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson.
Mr Javid had ultimately thrown his weight behind Liz Truss in the race that led to her appointment, but later conceded that was a “mistake” in the wake of the financial chaos unleashed by her brief premiership.
More voters regretting Brexit and would accept EU trade ties, poll shows
More voters are beginning to regret the current form of Brexit and would be willing to accept EU rules in return for better trade ties, a poll has revealed.
The BMG Research survey could pile pressure back on the UK Government after Rishi Sunak was forced to deny suggestions last month he could seek a “Swiss-style” Brexit.
According to the findings, more voters would now opt for a closer economic relationship with Europe even if it means following more Brussels rules (47 per cent), rather than sticking with the deal negotiated by Boris Johnson, which gives the UK more regulatory freedom (36 per cent).
The poll also found a degree of ‘buyers’ remorse’ among Brexit voters with nearly one in seven (14 per cent) saying they would now vote Remain
in a rerun of the 2016 referendum, with 7 per cent of Remainers saying they would now vote Leave.
The Prime Minister has found himself facing intensifying questions over Brexit as the UK slides into recession, and the poll suggests an increasing numbers of voters believe leaving the EU has had a negative impact in many key areas.
A stark illustration is that more Leave voters say the impact of our EU exit on the economy is negative (33 per cent) than positive (24 per cent), giving an overall -9 rating, although 36 per cent say it hasn’t made a difference.
In a sign of dissatisfaction about Brexit among those who voted for it, Leave voters from 2016 also thought leaving the EU has had more of a negative (40 per cent) than positive (15 per cent) impact on levels of migration to the
UK, giving an overall -25 negative rating.
Among all voters, there is also belief Brexit has had a negative impact on trade with the EU (-37) and non-eu (-18) countries, the UK’S global standing (-22), the NHS and public services (-24), the economy (-32), and the cost of living (-38).
Overall, the vast majority of both Leavers (81 per cent) and Remainers (90 per cent) say they would vote the same way if they went back to 2016.
However, in a fresh referendum, 45 per cent would vote now to rejoin the EU, with 41 per cent saying they would prefer staying out, although more Remain voters say they would accept the new status quo than Leave voters say they would now rejoin the EU.
BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,571 adults in Great Britain online between November 29 and December 1.
Jack Curry, pollster at BMG, said: “The picture around Brexit and so-called buyer’s remorse is complex.
“Yes, more leave voters show signs of regret over how they voted, with over one in ten saying they would vote to remain if they could go back in time and vote again. However, this does not mean there is a clamouring among Leave voters to race back and rejoin the EU.
“They might vote differently if they could turn the clocks back, but re-joining the EU is an altogether different proposition.”
No 10 would not comment on the poll, but earlier this week Mr Sunak insisted the UK was ready to take advantage of economic opportunities around the world when challenged about the impact of Brexit on the economy.