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Sajid Javid: Who is Amber Rudd's replacement as Home Secretary?

The son of a Pakistani bus driver becomes the first BAME person to hold the post

Monday 30 April 2018 12:44 BST
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Sajid Javid has been appointed Home Secretary
Sajid Javid has been appointed Home Secretary

Sajid Javid has enjoyed a meteoric rise through British politics, with his crowning achievement so far the replacement of Amber Rudd as home secretary.

First among his many tasks will be dealing with the fallout from the Windrush fiasco that put paid to his predecessor.

The 48-year-old former investment banker often described as a "true Thatcherite" won the promotion after spending the previous 18 months as communities secretary.

He is the first BAME person to hold the post.

Born in Lancashire, Mr Javid's father was a bus driver originally from Pakistan. His family moved to Bristol when he was young, where he grew up and went to comprehensive school.

After graduating from the University of Exeter he had a successful career in investment banking, working in London, New York and Singapore.

He ultimately rose to be a board member of Deutsche Bank, reportedly earning upwards of £3m a year before leaving the organisation in 2009 to pursue a career in politics.

In 2012, two years after becoming the MP for Bromsgrove, Mr Javid joined George Osborne’s ministerial team as the economic secretary to the Treasury and was then later promoted to financial secretary to the Treasury.

In 2014 he was made culture secretary, becoming the first British Pakistani MP to lead a government department, and after the general election in 2015 was promoted to business secretary.

During the Brexit referendum he campaigned for Remain but described himself as a Eurosceptic.

He therefore maintains the balance in Theresa May's senior cabinet positions, after he replaces Ms Rudd who also backed staying in the EU.

In the fallout after the referendum he launched a leadership bid to replace David Cameron.

On a joint ticket with Stephen Crabb he campaigned to become chancellor while Mr Crabb took over as prime minister.

The duo withdrew from the contest after the first round of voting and Mr Javid was appointed as communities secretary by the eventual winner, Ms May.

He lives with his wife Laura and his four children. Although he has recognised his family heritage, he is not a practising Muslim.

Mr Javid often comes to work with anecdotes about his family life and apparently once recalled his rescue of the family hamster by placing foil strips around the house and staying up all night to listen for rustling, his aides told Buzzfeed.

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