Sajid Javid says he will not stand again for MP at next election

The former chancellor Sajid Javid has become the latest Conservative MP to announce he will not stand again at the next election, joining a growing exodus of high-profile members of the party.

Javid announced on Twitter on Friday that after wrestling with the decision “for some time”, he would stand down at the next election, which will probably be held in 2024.

He is the latest and most senior Conservative MP to decide not to stand for re-election, with polls showing the party would be resoundingly defeated if the election were held now. His announcement came hours after the party lost the Chester byelection, in which Labour recorded its largest ever vote share in the seat.

Responding to Javid’s announcement, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he was “sad to see my good friend stepping back from politics … May the Force be with you, Saj.”

In a letter to Paul Uppal, the chair of his local Conservative association in Bromsgrove, Javid wrote: “While that election is not required to be held for two more years, the Conservative party has asked MPs to confirm their intentions at this early stage to enable preparations for the campaign, especially in light of various boundary changes. This has accelerated my decision-making.”

He added: “It has been a decision I have wrestled with for some time, but I have ultimately concluded not to stand again for what would be my fifth election.”

Javid entered the Commons in 2010 after a successful 18-year career in the City, where he worked for Deutsche Bank. The son of a bus driver and one of the party’s few MPs from a Muslim background, he quickly made a name for himself in parliament as someone who could communicate effectively with diverse groups of voters.

He became home secretary in 2018 and ran unsuccessfully for the leadership of the party a year later after the resignation of Theresa May as prime minister. He was appointed chancellor by the eventual winner, Boris Johnson, but resigned within weeks after clashing with the prime ministerial adviser Dominic Cummings.

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Javid returned to the frontbenches as health secretary during the Covid pandemic, and helped to spark Johnson’s downfall when he resigned amid allegations of sexual assault against the party’s deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

Javid did not say in his letter what he would do next and did not return a request to comment.