Former chancellor Sajid Javid returns to top of politics but faces an ‘enormous’ in-tray – Sky News

Sajid Javid's appointment as health secretary sees him returnto a cabinet he abruptly left some 16 months ago.

The Bromsgrove MP, 51, previously served as home secretary from 2018 to 2019 - and then as chancellor until February last year, when he was replaced by Rishi Sunak.

He quit after refusing to sack his aides in a row with the prime minister.

At the time, Mr Javid said he'd had "no option" but to resign - because Boris Johnson attached conditions to him staying in the role which "no self-respecting minister would accept".

His surprise departure was the culmination of weeks of reported tensions between him and Dominic Cummings, the PM's former chief adviser.

Later, Mr Javid said in the Commons: "It has always been the case that advisers advise, ministers decide and ministers decide on their advisers.

"I couldn't see why the Treasury, with the vital role that it plays, should be the exception to that."

On Saturday night, Mr Cummings suggested that Mr Johnson's wife, Carrie Symonds, played a role in the decision to hire Mr Javid as the new health secretary.

Mr Cummings tweeted: "So Carrie appoints Saj! NB If I hadn't tricked PM into firing Saj, we'd have had a HMT with useless SoS/spads, no furlough scheme, total chaos instead of JOINT 10/11 team which was a big success.

"Saj = bog standard = chasing headlines + failing = awful for NHS. Need #RegimeChange."

Now, as he enters the Department of Health, Mr Javid faces an "enormous" in-tray, Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates said.

Upcoming decisions on the pandemic response include advising the prime minister on whether the remaining restrictions should be removed next month.

There are also major concerns about a huge backlog of operations, and the funding of social care.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "Sajid Javid failed to reverse the previous eight years of social care cuts or deliver the investment our NHS needed in his time as chancellor of the Exchequer.

"He now needs to explain how he will bring down sky high waiting lists, ensure people get the cancer care they need, get young people vital mental health support and crucially fix social care, which has suffered swingeing cuts under the Conservatives."

Mr Javid was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and is one of five sons of Pakistani immigrants.

The family moved to Bristol, where they ran a shop and lived in the two bedroom flat above it. His father also worked as a bus driver.

Mr Javid went to a state school and studied economics and politics at Exeter University.

He left behind a career in finance and became MP for Bromsgrove in 2010.

According to his website, Mr Javid was a vice president at the US bank Chase Manhattan at the age of 25 and later moved to Deutsche Bank, rising to senior managing director before he left in 2009.

He held roles in the Treasury from 2012 until he was made culture secretary in April 2014, later going on to become business secretary in May 2015 and housing secretary in July 2016.

After being made home secretary in April 2018, Mr Javid talked openly about how he experienced racism at an early age and "could have had a life of crime" after growing up on "Britain's most dangerous street".

Mr Javid made it to the final four in the race to replace Theresa May as Tory leader in 2019, but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson.

After leaving the leadership race, Mr Javid said: "Work hard, have faith in your abilities, and don't let anyone try and cut you down to size or say you aren't a big enough figure to aim high.

"You have as much right as anyone to a seat at the top table, to be ambitious for yourself, and to make your voice heard."

Last August, he got a new job with Wall Street giant JP Morgan.

He is married to Laura, and has four children and a dog.

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Former chancellor Sajid Javid returns to top of politics but faces an 'enormous' in-tray - Sky News