Rt Hon Sajid Javid has become the first Home Secretary from an Asian background, as he takes up the post following Amber Rudd's resignation. Son of a bus driver, whose family migrated to the UK in 1960s, is the first ever Muslim and Punjabi speaking MP to have held this position in Britain's history.
The Bromsgrove MP, a former managing director at Deutsche Bank, has risen swiftly through the ministerial ranks and is tipped by some as a potential future leader.
As the fallout from the Windrush scandal continued over the weekend, he spoke movingly in the Commons just hours after replacing Amber Rudd. He said how it "could have been me, my mum or my dad", but insisted the government was making efforts to "put things right". He rejected the 'hostile environment' phrase used by Mrs May during her six years as Home Secretary and emphasised that his immediate priority was to ensure the Windrush families were treated with 'fairness and decency'.
His rise in politics is often believed to be an example of Britain’s true multiculturalism.He received the Cabinet Minister of the Year Award at the 12th Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards, hosted by Asian Voice newsweeklies at the House of Commons on 1 March 2018. Speaking at the awards, about UK and its diversity he said, “(Britain is) a country that just does not celebrate diversity but we actively thrive on the diversity of our country.
“...I want to dedicate this award to my parents and also your parents, because its our parents and sometimes our grandparents that left our homes long time ago, took great risks to come to this country and built not only a better future for themselves, but their children and grandchildren. Today is the opportunity, to remember our heroes, which are our parents.”
Though he himself experienced bouts of racism in the past, Mr Javid described Britain as the "world's most tolerant country", adding "if you have talent, colour and gender is less important".
He backed the Remain campaign like Prime Minister Theresa May during the referendum campaign and is a father of four who reportedly made more than £20 million during his high-flying banking career, which took him round the globe. But the 48-year-old turned to politics after that to "give something back" to the British society.
Outside politics, he has a long track record of fundraising, including £710,000 in one go, for the Disasters Emergency Committee and heading up a trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro for Help the Aged.
Mr Javid and India connections
Mr Javid has made several visits to India and also interacted with the Indian functionaries in his previous role in the Departments of culture and business. He was also closely involved in developments related to the sale of Tata Steel’s operations in Britain.
The Minister's father Abdul Ghani is originally from India and his mother from Pakistan. A bus driver, his father arrived in Britain in 1961 fwith just £1 in his pocket and earned the nickname "Mr Night and Day" because he worked all hours.
"My dad lived through the winter of discontent and used to vote Labour, but switched to Thatcher, saying, 'look how she's sorting out the country'. I agreed," he told the Mail on Sunday in an interview.
The family lived in Rochdale before moving to Bristol, where Mr Javid attended Downend School, a comprehensive, before going on to study politics and economics at Exeter University.
What does this appointment mean for the ethnic minority?
Amber Rudd was the fifth Cabinet Minister to resign after Prime Minister Theresa May formed her minority government following the 2017 general elections. One of them was Priti Patel, who left following her unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials while on a holiday.
Speaking at the House of Commons right after replacing the former Home Secretary, Mr Javid reportedly said, “I think the terminology (hostile environment) is incorrect. It's a phrase that is unhelpful and does not represent our values as a country.” His appointment could shift the balance in the Cabinet on Brexit.
Mrs Rudd was forced to be a human shield for Mrs May. She was bound to defend the Prime Minister's record from her time at the Home Office. Mrs May has of course made a sensible move by choosing Sajid Javid as her replacement. He is more open minded on immigration than the Prime Minister and he should be able to ensure his tenure is not defined by Mrs May's legacy at the department which was focussed on bringing net migration down to the 'tens and thousands'. The diaspora hopes he would argue that international students are taken out of the net migration statistics that and will focus on promoting something that drives economic prosperity, rather than hitting arbitary targets. The Home Office should also find better ways of tracking who resides in the UK, through exit checks or identity database.
The fact that Mrs May has appointed Mr Javid as Britain's first Asian Home Secretary means she knows how damaging the recent revelation have been both for her and her party.
In an interview, Mr Javid has recognised the concern that ethnic minority voters have about the Conservatives. He reportedly said, “I do accept that there may be ethnic-minority voters [for whom] that will cause them concern. “Please look at the response to Windrush, and the apology, in terms of trying to put things right.
"And, secondly, the bigger picture about how this Government has been committed to trying to deal with the injustices in society, some of which matter more to people from ethnic minorities.
"It felt very personal to me as well and that’s why I’m pleased that as soon as it came to light, that the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary in particular acted so decisively.”
Mr Javid also led criticism of Donald Trump's immigration ban, saying: "These are not British values".
Liberal Democrat leader Dr Vince Cable and Home Affairs spokesperson Ed Davey have already written to the new Home Secretary to protect people’s fundamental rights when their data is being processed for immigration purposes.
Many immigration decisions are overturned at appeal because the Home Office has made mistakes. But the bill puts at risk the right for individuals to see what information the Home Office holds on them and the Lib Dems are pressuring the government to make a concession on this point.
The letter also urges the Home Secretary to publish a Foreign Office report that allegedly shows Philip Hammond warned the Home Office about possible deportations of the Windrush generation in April 2016, when Theresa May was the Home Secretary.
