Who is former Health Secretary Sajid Javid?

SAJID Javid is the former Health Secretary who led to Boris Johnson’s resignation as Prime Minister.

He held cabinet positions under three prime ministers and was made Knights Bachelor in the 2024 New Year's Honours.

What's his background?

Sajid Javid was born on December 5, 1969, making him 54 at the time of writing, and has been the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove since 2010.

He was appointed Home Secretary in April 2018 after Amber Rudd was forced to quit in the wake of the Windrush scandal.

Mr Javid was also revealed as Matt Hancock's replacement on June 26, 2021, after the Health Secretary's affair with Gina Caladangelo forced him to quit.

Sajid, one of five sons, was born in Rochdale, Lancashire.

His mother and father, a bus driver, moved here from Pakistan in the 1960s.

They moved to Bristol, where Javid went to a state comprehensive school before studying economics and politics at the University of Exeter, where he joined the Conservative party.

Javid was said to have been a Thatcherite since his youth and, to this day, has the Iron Lady's portrait on his wall.

He was a banker in New York, London and Singapore after he graduated.

As director of Deutsche Bank, Javid was earning £3 million a year, before he left in 2009 to pursue a career in politics.

After he got to Parliament he soon was made a junior Treasury minister in David Cameron's government.

Javid also served as Equalities Minister, Culture Secretary and Business Secretary.

Theresa May became Prime Minister and made him Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary — but he was criticised in this post for his response to the Grenfell Tower disaster.

In the New Year’s Honours in 2024, he was made Knights Bachelor.

Javid and his wife Laura have four children.

What did he say about becoming Health Secretary?

The former Chancellor said he was "honoured" to replace the disgraced Matt Hancock as Health Secretary.

Javid tweeted: "Honoured to have been asked to serve as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care at this critical time.

"I look forward to contributing to our fight against the pandemic, and serving my country from the Cabinet once again."

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, described Javid as an "excellent choice" for Hancock’s replacement.

Javid stepped down as Health Secretary on July 5, 2022 and demanded Boris also quit as PM. 

In his resignation letter, he 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 always have 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.”