The UK Home Secretary and Bromsgrove representative Sajid Javid has become the 9th Tory MP to announce his candidateship for party leader. If successful, he would not only become the UK’s first Asian Prime Minister but also the first leader of the government from an ethnic minority background.
Javid was born in Rochdale, as one of the 5 sons of Pakistani immigrant parents. His father was a working-class bus driver before the family came into the ownership of a local shop in Bristol and rented out the two-bedroom apartment above it. Due to his keen interest in financial markets, Javid was the managing director at Deutsche Bank prior to being elected into Parliament.
Javid’s campaign for leadership comes with much controversy, following his monumental defeat in the European Elections, after which he declared himself as the one to “restore trust” in Political affairs. The 49-year-old who promoted remaining in the EU during the 2016 referendum, has since positioned himself as a firm leaver.
The Bromsgrove MP has said that his primary mission as Prime Minister would be guiding the UK in its plans to leave the European Union. He has said: “First and foremost, we must deliver Brexit.” In a video that Javid shared to the social media platform Twitter, he claimed he wanted to “find unity and create new opportunities for our country.”
He further stated: “We must bridge divides to heal communities, reminding us of our shared values as a United Kingdom, and we must strengthen our society and economy so that everyone can benefit from the opportunities which a prosperous nation provides.”
Javid is no stranger to breaking barriers in race within the country’s political sector. In April of last year, he became the country’s first Home Secretary of Pakistani ethnicity, after the stepping down of Amber Rudd from the position.
Moreover, he has also begun to announce further plans for the country’s development if elected into power. Javid has informed the press that he will put approximately 20,000 extra police officers on the beat if he becomes the UK’s next Prime Minister. He informed The Sun he would spend £1 billion over 3 years to put his promise into action.
The Bromsgrove MP has not yet declared if he would remove Britain from the EU on the 31st of October with or without a successful deal.
Mr Javid is one among 11 potential candidates so far, in the battle to replace the current UK Prime Minister. He joins the likes of Michael Gove, Esther McVey, Boris Johnson, Andrea Leadsom, Dominic Raab, Jeremy Hunt, Rory Stewart and Matt Hancock to name a few.
Theresa May formerly used an emotional address to announce her resignation as Conservative leader on the 7th of June. Her departure will take place after US President Donald Trump’s UK visit and the Peterborough by-election.
By Manisha Bhanot
