Member of Parliament On 28 May 2009, the sitting MP for
Bromsgrove,
Julie Kirkbride, announced that she would be standing down at the next general election in light of the
expenses scandal; Kirkbride had represented the constituency since
1997. Her resignation was confirmed in December 2009, after she attempted to withdraw it. (left) and Javid at the 2011 Conservative Party Conference in
Manchester After a selection contest held by the Bromsgrove Conservative Association on 6 February 2010, in which he received over 70% of the votes cast by its members, Javid was announced as the official Conservative Party parliamentary candidate for the
2010 general election. The other candidates up for selection included
Ruth Davidson and
Tina Stowell. On 6 May 2010, Javid received 22,558 votes, winning the seat by a majority of 11,308 votes. In terms of the number of votes cast in the constituency, this was an increase on the majority of 10,080 at the
previous general election, though was a reduction when compared both to the actual number of votes his predecessor had received (24,387) and to the Conservatives' percentage share of the vote (43.7% versus 51.0% in 2005). The constituency's boundaries had reformed prior to the election. In the
2019 general election, Javid received 34,408 votes and was returned as the MP for Bromsgrove, receiving 63.4% of the vote and increasing his already sizeable majority to 23,106 over Labour. Javid was also one of six new MPs profiled by the
Financial Times, and was named as the Newcomer of 2010 by the
ConservativeHome blog. In October 2012,
Iain Dale in
The Daily Telegraph included Javid in his list of "Top 100 most influential figures from the Right". In
The Times 2014 right-wing power list, Javid moved up 18 places to No. 8, with the article stating that he had emerged "as the senior member of the 2010 intake" and that if "the Tories want to jump a generation, then a Javid leadership candidacy would provide the opportunity." The 2014 GG2 Power List ranked Javid as the most influential British Asian, and, at the accompanying GG2 Leadership Awards event on 5 November 2014, then-Prime Minister
David Cameron described Javid as "the brilliant Asian man who I asked to join the Cabinet" and said that "I want to hear that title 'Prime Minister' followed by a British Asian name." In July 2014,
Forbes magazine compared Javid to
Barack Obama and suggested that Javid could become the next
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In January 2015, Javid was awarded the Politician of the Year award at the
British Muslim Awards. In November 2017, Sajid Javid won Patchwork Foundation's MP of the Year Award. In June 2018, a polling of Tory activists on ConservativeHome showed Javid was popular as a potential party leader. The poll is seen as a reliable barometer of grassroots opinion, although it is known to shift quickly. A separate poll of Conservative Party members by
YouGov in July 2018 also showed he had high levels of support to become party leader. YouGov found Javid reached the height of the charts on two measures; with 64% thinking he is "up to the job" and 69% calling him "competent".
Campaign against anti-Semitism Javid's appointment as Home Secretary was welcomed by a number of Jewish organisations, including the
Board of Deputies of British Jews and the
Jewish Leadership Council. Previously, as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Javid wrote to all local council leaders to ask them to adopt the
IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism. In 2015, addressing the
Holocaust Educational Trust's annual dinner, the then Business Secretary Javid condemned "dinner party anti-Semites" and said, "I can't remember the last time I spoke to a Jewish friend or colleague who hasn't, at some point, found themselves sitting awkwardly at a dinner party while a fellow guest railed against the international '
kosher conspiracy'". In 2018, Javid suggested
Jeremy Corbyn should quit as Labour leader following his decision to attend a 2014 wreath-laying at a cemetery which contained the graves of many Palestinian activists; including
Salah Khalaf and
Atef Bseiso, members of the
Black September Organization.
Criticism In March 2018, Javid called
Momentum "neo-fascist" in the
House of Commons chamber. Momentum threatened legal action if he repeated the comment outside
Parliament where
parliamentary privilege does not protect him against a lawsuit. MPs including
Jon Trickett,
Chris Williamson,
Alex Sobel,
Clive Lewis and
Caroline Lucas demanded Javid withdraw the statement and apologise. In July 2018, Javid back-tracked after
Jeremy Corbyn had threatened legal action for linking Corbyn with
Holocaust denial. Labour MPs accused Javid of "peddling a lie" and called on
Theresa May to intervene. Javid rejected a request by the
Muslim Council of Britain for an
independent inquiry into allegations of
Islamophobia within the Conservative Party. Javid said: "The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) does not represent Muslims in this country" and added "we don't deal with the MCB".
Harun Khan, the MCB's secretary-general said, "it sadly indicates that the party has no interest in dealing with this matter with the seriousness it deserves". Javid was rebuked by MPs and human rights campaigners for tweeting about "Asian paedophiles", with the director of the
Runnymede Trust commenting: "racialising this crime and focusing on the ethnicity of the sexual predators has done little to address why and how these victims were vulnerable to the prey of these sexual predators".
The Independent suggested Javid had ulterior motives with an impending leadership battle and said, "If Javid imagines his racial and religious origins offer any defence to the charge of incendiary race-baiting, he must be out of his tiny mind." His comments were defended by
Fraser Nelson, editor of
The Spectator, who said: "The way to stop populists is for mainstream politicians to address difficult and important issues calmly and directly."
Baroness Warsi has criticised Javid for
dog-whistling: "he should read what these people are saying, because however much he dog-whistles, however much he panders to the right of our party, sadly the right of our party still believe he's far too Muslim to be leader of the party". In August 2019,
John McDonnell questioned Javid's suitability for the office of
Chancellor of the Exchequer, citing his background in sales of
collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and alleged links to tax avoidance schemes. Javid held several senior executive positions in investment banking, including a role with responsibility for sale of CDOs, and during his time
Deutsche Bank had operated a tax avoidance scheme known as "dark blue" that channelled bankers' bonus payments through the
Cayman Islands.
Conservative leadership elections Joint leadership bid, 2016 In June 2016, following
David Cameron's resignation after the result of the
EU referendum,
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Stephen Crabb announced that he would be standing in the
2016 Conservative leadership election, on a "joint ticket" with Javid. If Crabb became
Prime Minister, Javid would become
Chancellor of the Exchequer. Crabb withdrew from the contest after the first round of voting amongst Conservative Members of Parliament. Shortly after withdrawing his bid, Crabb resigned from the Cabinet
following allegations that he had sent suggestive messages to a young woman. In an interview with the
Financial Times, Javid said he had expected to be sacked when
Theresa May became prime minister in July 2016, instead he was moved across in a re-shuffle to
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Crabb subsequently took a post as parliamentary chairman of
Conservative Friends of Israel.
Conservative leadership bid, 2019 In May 2019, Javid launched his bid to become Conservative leader with pledge to deliver Brexit and to "bridge divides" by promoting the shared values which unite Britain. He finished in fourth place. Javid's campaign was advised by
Matthew Elliott, former chief executive of
Vote Leave. The campaign received funding from both Remain- and Leave-supporting Conservative donors. Javid indicated he would be prepared to take Britain out of the EU without a deal, and called for no-deal preparations to be stepped up. Javid set out his Brexit strategy in a piece for the
Daily Mail, declaring "no, no, no" to the idea of allowing either another Brexit referendum, an early general election or revoking of Article 50. Javid also proposed covering costs for implementing any new technology at the Irish border in a bid to try and break the deadlock over the Northern Ireland backstop. During the campaign, Javid also opposed the
prorogation of parliament in order to deliver Brexit. He commented during the
Channel 4 Conservative Party leadership debate, "You don't deliver on democracy by trashing democracy... We're not selecting a dictator of our country." A third-party tweet which contained part of this quote on his leadership campaign Twitter account was deleted on 29 August 2019, the day after Prime Minister
Boris Johnson's controversial decision to prorogue parliament. In a
BBC Radio 4 interview on 31 August, Javid defended the prime minister's
prorogation of parliament. The prorogation was ruled to be unlawful on 24 September by the
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Javid said he was prepared to scrap the 45p rate of income tax entirely in a bid to inject more "dynamism" into the economy, pointing to the fact that tax revenues increased after the decision to cut the 50p rate of income tax to 45p and his role in making the case for it when he worked in the Treasury. Javid was eliminated from the contest after achieving fewer votes than his three remaining competitors in the fourth round of voting.
Conservative leadership bid, 2022 On 10 July 2022, Javid announced his candidacy to replace Johnson in the
July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, but withdrew prior to the first ballot.
Early parliamentary years (2010–2013) Javid was briefly a member of the
Work and Pensions Select Committee from June to November 2010, before relinquishing this position when he was appointed
parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to
John Hayes, then
Minister of State for Further Education at the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Javid was one of the first MPs to become a PPS from the 2010 intake. On 14 October 2011, as part of a small reshuffle prompted by the resignation of
Liam Fox as
Defence Secretary, Javid was promoted to become PPS to then
Chancellor of the Exchequer,
George Osborne.
Treasury ministerial roles at the
Which? ministerial credit visit in 2013 In September 2012, Javid joined Osborne's Ministerial team as
Economic Secretary to the Treasury. He was later promoted to
Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 7 October 2013, replacing
Greg Clark. As Economic Secretary, Javid was responsible for overseeing government plans for state-owned
Royal Bank of Scotland Group and
Lloyds Banking Group. Javid proposed to scrap rebate taxes for overseas investors in a bid to boost the competitiveness of asset management in the UK.
Culture Secretary On 9 April 2014,
David Cameron appointed Javid to the
Cabinet as
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and
Minister for Equalities following the resignation of
Maria Miller over her expenses. This made him the first MP to have been elected at the 2010 general election to join the Cabinet, and the first
British Pakistani MP to lead a
Government Department. Shortly after his appointment, he was made a
Privy Councillor. Javid defended media freedom and the right of the press to investigate wrongdoing by politicians and officials in his first appearance as Culture Secretary on BBC's
Question Time programme. "The media are a cornerstone of our democracy, their freedom is very important and if they want to investigate wrongdoing by politicians or any other public official they should do that and nothing should stop them from doing that." It was reported in May 2015 that in March, Javid had opposed plans by then-
Home Secretary Theresa May to give
Ofcom "counter-extremism powers" to vet British television programmes before they were broadcast. In a letter to
David Cameron, he commented that countries which had similar arrangements "are not known for their compliance with rights related to freedom of expression and the Government may not wish to be associated with such regimes". His speech as Culture Secretary to the
Union of Jewish Students' Annual Conference 2014 about the importance of diversity and free expression in the world of culture has been hailed by
Isabel Hardman of
The Spectator as "one of the finest speeches from a government minister I have ever read." In 2015, at a
Board of Deputies of British Jews hustings event, Javid stated that publicly funded cultural institutions that
boycott Israel risk having their government grants cut. by the
Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, Javid said: "I have made it absolutely clear what might happen to their [the theatre's] funding if they try, or if anyone tries, that kind of thing again." British playwright
Caryl Churchill raised concerns about political interference in the arts, and questioned: "All
Charlie Hebdo? Except when freedom of expression means freedom to criticise Israel".
Business Secretary and Javid, 2015
Financial Times Summer Party, Mondrian Hotel, London Following the
2015 general election, Javid was appointed as
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in the new
Conservative majority government under Prime Minister
David Cameron. He was at this time described as "the most robust right-winger in the cabinet", and a "true
Thatcherite". After being appointed as Business Secretary, Javid said that there would be "significant changes" to strike laws under the new Conservative government, announcing that strikes affecting essential public services will need the backing of 40% of eligible union members under new government plans. Javid believed the UK ought to remain in the
European Union. He described himself as a
Eurosceptic with "no time for ever-closer union", but he wrote in
The Daily Telegraph, "Just like Bank of England Governor
Mark Carney and IMF head
Christine Lagarde, I still believe that Britain is better off in. And that's all because of the
Single Market. It's a great invention, one that even Lady Thatcher campaigned enthusiastically to create." In February 2017, it was revealed in court that Javid had ignored the advice of a senior civil servant in order to continue to grant export licences for weapons to
Saudi Arabia, despite allegations of war crimes in the
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. A February 2016 email from Edward Bell, head of the Export Control Organisation, was read out as part of a judicial review into British arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The email said: "To be honest, and I was very direct and honest with [Sajid Javid], my gut tells me we should suspend [weapon exports to Saudi Arabia]". In a later email, he said: "[Sajid Javid] decided not to take a decision about this last night and the matter has now been raised with [the prime minister]". Creation of a pubs code and pubs code adjudicator (PCA); the SBEE Act 2015 compelled the Business Secretary to create the office of the PCA in one year (s42 (1) SBEE Act 2015) i.e. by 26 March 2016. The code was not published until 20 July 2016 and came into force the following day 21 July 2016, the unlawful delay to the code was overseen by Sajid Javid. Pub tenants were denied an opportunity to use their rights for months as the statutory deadline had been broken. This unlawful delay also pushed forward the pubs code review until 2019, when the code review could have happened a year earlier in 2018.
Communities Secretary and Javid, at
Supporting Syria and the Region conference, 2016 In July 2016, Javid was appointed
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by Prime Minister
Theresa May. In the role, he focused on increasing housing supply, including delivering a new generation of affordable and council housing. He had previously described council homes as "poor housing for the poor", but helped secure funds for new local council building in the 2017 budget. In 2017, Javid threatened to cancel Europe's largest
Palestine convention,
Palestine Expo. Javid, whose department controlled the
QEII Centre, had warned that he was "minded" to cancel the event. Javid's intervention came amid claims by various Jewish and pro-Israel groups that the organisers had previously praised Hamas. In 2017, a judge ruled that Javid acted unlawfully in issuing guidance to restrict local councils from pursuing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (
BDS) against Israel through their pension schemes. The Chair of the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign called it a "victory for Palestine, for local democracy, and for the rule of law". As Communities Secretary, Javid launched a wide-ranging programme of leasehold and commonhold reform. This began with a forthright speech at the 2017 conference for the main leasehold property managers trade body ARMA (Association of Residential Managing Agents), where Javid targeted rogue managing agents as well as the exorbitant service charges faced by many leaseholders across England and Wales. This was well received by the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership charity. In September 2017, Javid championed innovation collaborative efforts between the UK and Commonwealth Nations by awarding the first Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship in Innovation to Joshua Cheong and Dr Khoo Hsien Hui respectively. In December 2017, after a public consultation which attracted a high response rate, it was announced that efforts to end "feudal" leasehold practices would include a ban on future leasehold houses as well as setting ground rents in new build flats to zero. By April 2018, a series of policies aimed at regulating both the managing and letting agent sectors was unveiled such as a new system for leaseholders to challenge unfair service charges, empowering leaseholders to switch managing agent and requirements for managing and letting agents to professionalise their operations.
Home Secretary On 30 April 2018, Javid was appointed as Home Secretary after
Amber Rudd resigned for misleading MPs about "targets for removing illegal immigrants", a consequence of the ongoing
Windrush scandal. Javid began his role saying that he was determined to fix the injustices of the Windrush scandal, and launched a consultation. In becoming Home Secretary, he became the first person from an Asian background to hold one of the
Great Offices of State in the UK. In his first months in charge, he put clear water between his tenure and
Theresa May's lengthy stint at the Home Office. He offered an olive branch to the
Police Federation, secured a review on medicinal
cannabis oil, Javid won plaudits from
Lord Tebbit, who suggested "Sajid Javid has seized control of his notoriously bloody minded department".
Immigration In June 2018, Javid lifted the cap on immigration for NHS doctors and nurses and proposed adjustments to the
"hostile environment" policy on immigration. Javid has argued against EU citizens having preferential rights to live and work in the UK after
Brexit, saying, "There's no magical reason it should be only from the EU and I think being a global Britain means that should be from across the world." This was seen to be at loggerheads with Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Philip Hammond. Javid has said that EU citizens who have lived in the UK for at least five years would be eligible for a new "settled status" in the country post-Brexit. Child chess prodigy
Shreyas Royal was allowed to stay in the UK after Javid personally intervened in the case under "exceptional talent" rules; it is very rare for the talent of a child to be a consideration in an immigration case. Javid unveiled plans at Cabinet for a crackdown on the number of low-skilled migrants coming to the UK after Britain leaves the EU, despite objections from Hammond and
Greg Clark, the
Business Secretary. It represented a significant victory for May and Javid and came after months of "Cabinet clashes" over the issue.
Asylum and re-migration In January 2019, Javid suggested denying asylum to asylum-seekers coming across the English Channel, questioning whether they were "genuine" and vowing to "do everything we [the UK] can to make sure that you are often not successful". This was objected to as a violation of
international law by bodies such as the
Refugee Council Javid made similar comments in February of that year when he said that British citizens who joined
ISIS would not be allowed to return to the United Kingdom, despite a statement from the
Justice Secretary David Gauke to the contrary. On 19 February, Javid revoked the British citizenship of Shamima Begum, a British 19-year-old who left to join ISIS in 2015, when she was 16. He said that she had Bangladeshi citizenship, the country of her mother which she had never lived in, but both the Bangladesh state authorities and Begum denied this. The government had already failed in a similar move involving statelessness and Britons of Bangladeshi descent in 2017. However,
Guardian journalist Amy Walker suggested that this feeling was not wholly shared in the area in which she formerly resided,
Bethnal Green, and that many residents of the area did not believe she posed a threat or could not be reintegrated. Javid's decision was also opposed by
Church of England bishops and Javid's political opponent,
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, who said that the move was a breach of Begum's human rights.
Amnesty International stated that revoking Begum's citizenship was "morally and legally questionable". On 8 March 2019, it was announced by Begum's family and officers of the
Democratic Federation of Northern Syria that Begum's newborn son had died. Javid was widely criticised for his actions, and held directly culpable for the death of the boy, Jarrah, by a number of commentators, including British human rights lawyer
Clive Stafford Smith.
Police and crime In 2018, his first speech to the Police Federation, Javid said, "I'm listening and I get it". In response to the
child sexual exploitation scandal, Javid ordered research into why men convicted of grooming-gang sex crimes are disproportionately of Pakistani origin. He has argued that "we need an honest, open debate on child sexual exploitation, including racial motivation". The decision won praise, with
Trevor Phillips suggesting "in his assault on liberal guilt over race, Sajid Javid is putting his Labour opponents to shame" and
Camilla Cavendish commented that the "home secretary's heritage gives him a powerful voice against groomers". Javid vowed to use counter-terrorism powers to strip dual citizens involved in child-grooming gangs and other serious crimes of their British citizenship. In December 2018, in what may be the first case of its kind, a man's dual citizenship was removed on the basis that when he applied to be a UK citizen he lied about the fact he was sexually abusing a child. Javid launched an investigation into the Home Office's handling of forced marriage cases after
The Times revealed that abusers are being handed visas. In a series of tweets, he said: "We will be doing more to combat it and support victims. Those who force British women into marriage, be warned that we are redoubling our efforts to make sure you pay for your crimes." In 2018, Javid showed concern for the growing child abuse online making the use of technology insecure for children. He spoke at the
NSPCC headquarters for online child sexual exploitation held on 3 September 2018. During his speech he announced the allocation of £21.5m for the investigation of the online child sex offenders on different technological and social platforms. He also announced the allocation of £26m for prevention activities to be carried out by different bodies.
Drug policy Javid used an exceptional
power as home secretary to issue a licence for a child with acute epilepsy to be treated with medical
cannabis oil as a matter of urgency. Javid also launched a new panel to consider applications from patients seeking to use cannabis oil and announced a review of medicinal cannabis. Following advice from the Chief Medical Officer and the
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Javid announced that medicinal cannabis will be available for prescription on the NHS.
Security ,
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, May 2018 In February 2019, Javid laid an order in Parliament adding
Hezbollah's political wing to the UK's list of proscribed terror organisations. In 2018, Javid was a keynote speaker at the
Conservative Friends of Israel Conference and stated he intends to strengthen the partnership between UK and Israel, "especially in security". In 2019, Javid announced the government would increase funding for the security of synagogues, schools and other Jewish centres. The government's new pledge will bring the amount it has allocated to the
Jewish Community Protective Security Grant to £65.2 million since its introduction in 2015. In response to the
Christchurch mosque shootings, Javid warned social media firms that they would face the "force of the law" if they did not do more to remove extremist content and announced a forthcoming online harms
white paper, which is expected to introduce legal regulation of online publishers and social media, including new censorship rules. Javid has condemned some critics of the government's
Prevent anti-terror scheme for being "on the side of the extremists."
Equality Javid vowed to tackle anti-LGBT hate crime and set up a new LGBT Advisory Panel to deliver the Government's action plan. Javid apologised for historical homophobia within the Home Office: "Undercover police were instructed to loiter in bars, entrap gay men and put them in jail. Let me tell you, as the current Home Secretary, that was wrong, wrong, wrong, and I'm sorry that it ever happened". Javid announced a full
Law commission review of hate crime, including the possible addition of new "protected characteristics" such as misogyny and age in the same way as offences motivated by hostility based on race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. In 2018, charities estimated around one million older people were victims of physical, financial, psychological and sexual abuse each year. However, criminal convictions were rare and sentences considered lenient.
Chancellor of the Exchequer , the Treasury cat On 24 July 2019, Javid was appointed
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the new
Boris Johnson cabinet. Upon his appointment, he tweeted that he was looking forward to working at the
Treasury to prepare the United Kingdom for leaving the EU. In his first media intervention after becoming Chancellor, Javid pledged in
The Sunday Telegraph to overhaul the Treasury's approach to Brexit, beginning with "significant extra funding" to get Britain ready to leave with or without a deal. In September 2019, Javid stood by Johnson's statement to suspend parliament and leave the EU. He confirmed that though Johnson would be looking for a new deal in the 17 October Council in Brussels, he would not ask for extension of
Article 50 and hence the UK would leave the EU come 31 October. On 26 January 2020, a
50p coin to mark Brexit was unveiled by Javid, bearing the inscription 'Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations' and the new leaving date of 31 January. Javid helped raise thousands of pounds at the
Jewish Care business breakfast by auctioning a Brexit 50p coin, co-signed by himself and Boris Johnson. Javid intervened to ensure
Andrew Bailey was appointed as
Governor of the Bank of England.
Dominic Cummings had lobbied for appointment of
Andy Haldane to take over from
Mark Carney as Governor.
Resignation Tensions between
10 Downing Street and Treasury had come to a head during August 2019, when the prime minister's chief adviser
Dominic Cummings relieved one of
Chancellor Javid's aides, Sonia Khan, of her employment, without Javid's permission and without informing him. It was alleged that, during her dismissal, Cummings "went outside No 10 and asked an armed officer to enter the building and escort Khan off the premises." Javid "voiced anger" to Johnson over the dismissal of Khan and Cummings faced the prospect of a probe by a governmental ethics watchdog following the dismissal. In November 2019, following questions of a rift between Johnson and Javid, Johnson gave his assurance that he would retain Javid as Chancellor following the
2019 general election. Javid had also lost another long-term special adviser
Salma Shah among tensions with number 10. However, in the weeks leading up to the reshuffle, a number of briefings in the press had suggested that a new economic ministry led by
Rishi Sunak might be established, to reduce the power and political influence of the
Treasury. Sunak was considered to be a Johnson loyalist, seen as the "rising star" minister who had ably represented the prime minister during the 2019 election debates. By February 2020, it was reported that Javid would remain in his role as Chancellor and that Sunak would stay on as
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in order to "keep an eye" on Javid. On 13 February 2020, the day of the reshuffle, Javid resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following a meeting with the prime minister. During the meeting, Johnson had offered to let him keep his position on the condition that he fire all of his advisers at the Treasury, to be replaced with individuals selected by Number 10. Upon resigning, Javid told
PA Media that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms". The Chancellor's resignation was unexpected, given Johnson's commitment to retain Javid within the Cabinet and recent reports that an alternative finance ministry would not be made. Robert Shrimsley, chief political commentator of the
Financial Times, stated that the prime minister's choices at the time risked damaging the government, that "good government often depends on senior ministers – and the Chancellor in particular – being able to fight bad ideas". Javid became the first Chancellor in 50 years not to deliver a budget. His time as Chancellor, 204 days, at the time represented the second-fewest days in office since the
Second World War.
Return to the backbenches Javid returned to being a backbench MP after resigning as Chancellor. In his first speech as a backbencher, after
Prime Minister's Questions, he said that he felt he still had "more to give" in regards to his political future. In June 2020, Javid announced that he would be working with the
Centre for Social Justice think tank to lead an inquiry into
child sexual abuse in the UK. He wrote in
The Daily Telegraph of his concern that the
COVID-19 pandemic lockdown was leading to a surge in child sexual abuse cases. Javid was a senior fellow at
Harvard University's
Harvard Kennedy School, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government in 2020–2021. In August 2020, Javid began in a paid role as a senior adviser to
JPMorgan Chase. He joined on the bank's Europe, Middle East and Africa advisory council. His appointment was criticised by Labour MP
Zarah Sultana as "undermining democracy" and she advocated the banning of MPs from taking second jobs.
Health Secretary Javid replaced
Matt Hancock as
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 26 June 2021 during the
COVID-19 pandemic, following Hancock's resignation. Javid took over the prominent role in the
government's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic as the
SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was driving a
third wave in cases across the country. Despite this, Javid confirmed that he would push for an end to public health restrictions, saying: "We are going to have to learn to accept the existence of COVID and find ways to cope with it – just as we already do with flu", a strategy supported by other Conservative MPs but prompting criticism from some scientists and health experts. He said the country could have as many as "100,000 daily cases", while pushing for relaxation of social distancing and self-isolation rules, and saying "there is no going back". On 17 July 2021, Javid tested positive for
COVID-19. Eight days later, he reported that he had recovered. He was criticised for insensitivity by several opposition MPs and the pressure group
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice for saying "if you haven't yet – get your jab, as we learn to live with, rather than cower from, this virus". Javid later deleted the tweet and apologised for the "cower" remark, stating: "It was a poor choice of word" and that he was "expressing gratitude that the vaccines help us fight back as a society." In early September 2021, although the
JCVI "failed to recommend
COVID-19 vaccines for healthy 12- to 15-year-olds, and instead advised that more children with underlying health conditions and vulnerable relatives should be offered the jab", Javid announced a plan to make vaccines available for the age group. Javid also announced plans to make COVID-19 vaccines compulsory for all
NHS and care home staff. He was warned of staff shortages as a result of this policy. In a press conference in October 2021, Javid rejected calls to reintroduce general public health measures such face mask mandates and more home working, as COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths began to rise. He warned the country could report 100,000 daily cases over the winter. He encouraged the public to follow government advice and for those who had not been vaccinated to do so.
Resignation (right) (the first two cabinet members to resign on 5 July) pictured with
Boris Johnson (centre) On 5 July 2022, Javid resigned as Health Secretary, in the fallout from controversy around sexual assault by former Deputy Chief Whip
Chris Pincher, and suppression of reports by the Conservative Party. Javid said that he had originally given Johnson the benefit of the doubt, but decided to resign following a Parliament prayer breakfast about integrity in public life. In his resignation letter to Boris Johnson, Javid said: "The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country. Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest. Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither." On 6 July 2022, Javid delivered in addition to the letter a personal statement in the House of Commons, calling on colleagues to consider following his lead of resigning from cabinet. He mentioned "enough is enough" and "I also believe a team is as good as its team captain, and that a captain is as good as his or her team. So loyalty must go both ways. The events of recent months have made it increasingly difficult to be in that team." Following the resignations of Javid and Sunak, numerous junior ministers and among the
parliamentary private secretary (PPS) also resigned, most of whom cited a lack of honesty and integrity on the part of Johnson. In the following 24 hours, 36 MPs resigned from their roles in government. This marked both the largest number of ministerial resignations in a 24-hour period since the
British Empire Economic Conference in 1932, and the largest number of such resignations on record. After a total of 62 resignations, Johnson announced on 7 July his intention to resign as Conservative leader and prime minister, but said he would remain prime minister until a new leader was in place.
Return to the backbenches Javid supported
Liz Truss during the
July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and
Rishi Sunak in the
October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election. In December 2022, Javid said that he would not stand for re-election at the
2024 general election. ==Post-political career==