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Sajid Javid considering Tory leadership bid

Sajid Javid considering Tory leadership bid

Former health secretary Sajid Javid is considering joining the race to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader, Pulse understands.

Mr Javid resigned from his post as health secretary on Tuesday, saying in his resignation letter that the Prime Minister had ‘lost his confidence’ and that he could not carry on serving him ‘in good faith’.

Mr Johnson named Steve Barclay as his new health secretary yesterday, before resigning as Conservative leader earlier today.

However, the Prime Minister said he intended to remain in post while the Conservative Party elects a new leader.

Mr Javid took the role of health secretary in June 2021, following the resignation of Matt Hancock, who was caught kissing a colleague in a lift against Covid rules.

Just last month Mr Javid told delegates at the NHS Confederation Expo conference he would be setting out a ‘plan for change’ for primary care, as the current model is ‘not working’.

His main involvement in general practice was his call for GPs to see more patients face to face, and in October last year he released the winter access fund, which promised £250m worth of funding in return for a number of measures described as ‘draconian’ by GP leaders.

He was also rumoured to be looking at hospitals taking over GP services, following on from the model in Wolverhampton, where the trusts runs ten separate practices.

When asked if he would be interested in leadership of the Conservative Party, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt also told Pulse editor Jaimie Kaffash in an exclusive interview in April this year that he has ‘not ruled out going back into frontline politics in the future’.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street today, Mr Johnson said: ‘It is now clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore a new Prime Minister.

‘I have agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now, and the timetable will be announced next week.’

He also said the new Cabinet he has announced, following dozens of resignations over the past two days, would continue to serve – ‘as I will’ – until a new leader was elected.

Mr Johnson was ultimately brought down over alleged Number 10 dishonesty regarding what he knew about misconduct allegations prior to appointing his deputy chief whip. However, discontent had been growing since the news of Mr Johnson having broken his own lockdown rules with Number 10 parties.


          

READERS' COMMENTS [4]

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Vinci Ho 8 July, 2022 9:27 am

What is it with that these ex-health secretaries all want to be prime ministers ?🤔😈
According to the polls, Mr Jarvid and Agent Hunt are both quite lower down the league table of popularity among Conservative party members 😳😂

Chris GP 8 July, 2022 11:49 am

Its because he apparently managed to get out without risking his integrity – having only realised earlier this week that the PM had been lying to him for the last few weeks/months/years. Up until then he had been hoodwinked into thinking Boris was a solid honest chap who did everything by the book which is why he had been happy to defend him to the hilt in all the interviews he had been wheeled out to do.
For integrity – vote Saj. Apparently.

Mahesh Kamdar 11 July, 2022 7:06 pm

Neither of the ex Health Secretaries delivered any goods for the health service. How can they be trusted to deliver anything as the PM. I think they should be ashamed of themselves. Sorry! Candidates.