Sajid Javid has described endorsing Liz Truss in the 2022 Conservative leadership contest as his “biggest mistake in politics”, making the admission during a candid appearance at the Hay Festival in Wales.
The former chancellor, who stood down as an MP before the 2024 general election, was promoting his memoir The Colour of Home when the subject of his support for Truss arose. After host Aasmah Mir noted that Javid had backed Truss in the first round of the leadership election, he replied: “Biggest mistake in politics.” Pressed on whether he still speaks to Truss, Javid answered: “No. I said ‘friends’.”
Javid had initially launched his own campaign for the Conservative leadership following Boris Johnson’s resignation in July 2022, but he withdrew after being eliminated and threw his weight behind Truss. Her premiership lasted just 49 days, collapsing after a disastrous mini-budget delivered by Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on 23 September 2022. The package contained £45 billion in unfunded tax cuts, which triggered a sharp drop in the pound against the dollar, emergency intervention by the Bank of England, and a spike in mortgage rates. Truss remains the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.
Defections to Reform: “Good riddance”
Mir also asked Javid for his view on the growing number of Conservative MPs defecting to Reform UK, a list that now includes Nadine Dorries, Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick. Javid’s response was blunt: “Good riddance.” The remark reflects a dismissive stance toward those who have left the party following its heavy defeat at the 2024 election.
Declining calibre of politicians – and who bears responsibility
Javid devoted much of his Hay Festival appearance to a wider critique of British politics, arguing that the quality of elected representatives has deteriorated markedly. “Has the calibre of politicians declined in recent years? Yes. I think dramatically,” he said. However, he was careful to spread the blame. “But it would be unfair … to blame that just on the politicians. The politicians reflect what you vote for.”
In his view, the ultimate responsibility lies with the electorate. “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, who was first elected as the MP for Bromsgrove in 2010 and served until 2024, has often highlighted his own background – the son of Punjabi immigrants who grew up in poverty and faced racism in the 1970s – as a counterpoint to what he sees as a narrowing talent pool in Westminster. He attended a comprehensive school, and his father was a bus driver, a “rags to riches” narrative he explores in his memoir.
MPs’ pay: “You get what you pay for”
Javid also weighed in on the perennial debate over parliamentary salaries, arguing that current levels are too low to attract the best candidates from outside politics. “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.”
His proposed solution is drastic: “We should half the number of MPs and double their salaries.” The suggestion comes as the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the body that determines MPs’ pay and expenses, is expected to set the basic annual salary for an MP at £98,599 from April 2026, according to recent reports.
A career in and out of government
Javid’s ministerial career spanned four prime ministers. He served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer under David Cameron and Theresa May, and later as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care under Boris Johnson. He stepped down from government in July 2022 during the wave of resignations that ultimately ended Johnson’s premiership.
Since leaving Parliament, Javid has taken on new roles. He is now a partner at Centricus, a private equity and asset manager based in Mayfair, founded by former colleagues from his time at Deutsche Bank. He had previously been a senior adviser to the firm since 2023 – a role that raised questions given his intimate knowledge of fiscal and monetary policy as a former chancellor. In July 2025, he became chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), succeeding Laura Marks CBE, and has publicly committed to combating antisemitism and promoting social cohesion. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2024 New Year Honours for political and public service.
