Former chancellor Sajid Javid has described his decision to back Liz Truss in the Conservative leadership contest as his "biggest mistake in politics." Speaking at the Hay festival in Wales while promoting his memoir The Colour of Home, Javid, who is no longer an MP, said he still keeps in touch with some Conservative colleagues.
When asked by broadcaster Aasmah Mir whether he still speaks to Truss, Javid replied: "No. I said 'friends'." Mir then pressed: "Hang on a minute, did you not back her in the first leadership election?" Javid responded: "Biggest mistake in politics."
After Boris Johnson's resignation in 2022, Javid initially launched his own bid for the Conservative leadership but threw his support behind Truss after being eliminated. Truss's premiership lasted just 49 days following the disastrous mini-budget that triggered economic turmoil.
Javid, who stood down as an MP at the 2024 election, was also asked about the wave of Tory MPs defecting to Reform UK. His response was blunt: "Good riddance."
He argued that the quality of Britain's political class has deteriorated significantly in recent years. "Has the calibre of politicians declined in recent years? Yes. I think dramatically. But it would be unfair to blame that just on the politicians. The politicians reflect what you vote for," he said. "Ultimately, the calibre of the politicians is on the people. If you want different politicians, you've got to vote differently – not just think about their party label or whatever – but also just about what kind of person they are, what's really motivating them."
Javid, now a partner at an investment firm, made the case for increasing MPs' pay to attract higher-calibre candidates. "We don't pay politicians enough to attract people from the top of their game – and that could be a head teacher, it could be an accountant, it could be a doctor – to leave their jobs and say, you know what, I want to serve my country," he said. "So to some extent, you get what you pay for. We should half the number of MPs and double their salaries."
Javid held several cabinet roles under David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, including home secretary and chancellor. He later returned as health secretary under Johnson before resigning in July 2022 amid a wave of resignations that ultimately ended Johnson's premiership. After stepping down as an MP before the 2024 general election, he became a partner at Centricus, a private equity and asset manager founded by former Deutsche Bank colleagues. He also chairs the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
