Sajid Javid Says He Will Not Stand Again For MP At Next Election – Former chancellor Sajid Javid is the most latest Conservative MP to announce he will not run in the upcoming election, continuing a steady departure of prominent party members. Javid stated on Twitter on Friday that he would step down at the next election, which will likely be held in 2024, after much consideration.
He is the most senior Conservative MP to announce he will not seek re-election, with polls indicating the party would be soundly defeated if an election were conducted today. His announcement was made hours after the party’s defeat in the Chester by-election, in which Labour received its highest vote total in the seat’s history. Responding to Javid’s announcement, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he was “sad to see my good friend stepping back from politics. May the Force be with you, Saj.”
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In a letter to Paul Uppal, the chair of his local Conservative association in Bromsgrove, Javid wrote: “While that election is not required to be held for two more years, the Conservative party has asked MPs to confirm their intentions at this early stage to enable preparations for the campaign, especially in light of various boundary changes. This has accelerated my decision-making.” He added: “It has been a decision I have wrestled with for some time, but I have ultimately concluded not to stand again for what would be my fifth election.”
Javid entered the House of Commons in 2010 after a prosperous 18-year career at Deutsche Bank in the City. Son of a bus driver and one of the party’s few MPs with a Muslim background, he earned a name for himself in the House of Representatives as someone who could relate well with varied voter groups. In 2019, following Theresa May’s resignation as prime minister, he ran unsuccessfully for the party’s leadership but was appointed home secretary in 2018.
He was nominated chancellor by the eventual winner, Boris Johnson, but quit after a dispute with the prime minister’s adviser, Dominic Cummings. Javid returned to the frontbench as health secretary during the Covid pandemic and contributed to Johnson’s downfall when he resigned in the wake of sexual assault claims against the party’s deputy chief whip Chris Pincher. Javid did not specify his future steps in his letter and did not respond to a request for comment.
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