Sajid Javid said “the problem starts at the top” and is “not going to change” as the former minister delivered a powerful statement in his first Commons appearance since resigning as health secretary.
“Enough is enough,” said Mr Javid, as he declared he was no longer willing to “risk losing my integrity” by serving in Boris Johnson’s government.
“The reset button can only work so many times,” he said. “There’s only so many times you can turn that machine on and off before you realise something is fundamentally wrong.
“The problem starts at the top, it’s not going to change.”
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Mr Javid kicked off the wave of resignations on Tuesday evening, sending a letter to Mr Johnson saying he could “no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this government”.
“It is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too,” he wrote.
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After Michael Gove, Mr Javid was the most experienced member of the PM’s cabinet, having served in David Cameron, Theresa May and Mr Johnson’s front bench.
Under Mr Cameron, he was culture then business secretary, while Mrs May made him housing then home secretary.
The son of Pakistani migrants, he was the first person of colour to hold one of the “great offices of state” when Mrs May appointed him home secretary in 2018 following the Windrush scandal.
He ran for the Tory Party leadership in 2016 and again in 2019, when he came fourth and ultimately lost out to Mr Johnson.
Seen as a safe pair of hands, he was handed the most senior job beneath the PM – chancellor.
But in February 2020 Mr Javid quit after just 204 days over a falling out with Mr Johnson’s former right-hand man Dominic Cummings, who asked him to sack all his political advisers to remain in the role.
He was the first British chancellor in 50 years not to deliver a budget.
With Mr Cummings gone and Mr Hancock resigning over claims he broke social distancing rules with his aide, Mr Javid was brought back into government as health secretary.
