Former health secretary Sajid Javid announces he will stand down as MP at next general election

Former UK health secretary Sajid Javid has announced he will not stand to be an MP at the next general election.

Javid, who has served the constituency of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire since 2010, confirmed his decision to his local Conservative association in a letter.

He will continue to represent the area until the next general election takes place – which must be no later than January 2025.

The 52-year-old has held a number of senior positions in government during his time at Westminster.

He had roles as a junior minister in the Treasury between 2012 and 2014, before being appointed to Cabinet as the secretary of state for culture, media and sport under former Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2014.

Between May 2015 and July 2016, Javid worked as the secretary of state for business, innovation and skills.

Then, under Theresa May, he became the housing, communities and local government minister, before taking on one of the most prominent positions in politics when he was named as home secretary.

He served in that role until July 2019, when Boris Johnson succeeded May as Prime Minister, with Javid being named as Chancellor.

However, in a shock move, he quit ahead of the budget in 2020 after reportedly being asked to sack all of his advisers in the Treasury by No 10.

Javid spent time away from Government, as he returned to the backbenches during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But, following the resignation of Matt Hancock as health secretary in June 2021, he made a comeback as health secretary before quitting alongside current PM Rishi Sunak over calls for Johnson to resign earlier this year,

Javid also made a tilt at the Conservative leadership following Johnson’s departure, but he failed to make it further than the first round of voting as he was unable to reach the 20 nominations required to proceed.

In his letter to the Bromsgrove Conservative Association, Javid said that he will continue to support Sunak as Prime Minister.

“Being the local MP and serving in government has been the privilege of my life and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to service,” he said.

“I always sought to make decisions in the national interest and in line with my values, and I can only hope my best was sufficient.

“I will of course continue to support my friend the Prime Minister and the people of Bromsgrove in any way I can.”