HAY — Former Chancellor Sajid Javid called supporting Liz Truss in the 2022 Conservative leadership contest his “biggest mistake in politics” during an appearance at the Hay Festival in Wales. Javid made the remark while promoting his memoir, “The Colour of Home,” which recounts his childhood as the son of Punjabi immigrants growing up in the UK during the 1970s.

Javid had initially launched his own campaign to succeed Boris Johnson after Johnson resigned in 2022 but was eliminated early and subsequently backed Truss. Her premiership ended after just 49 days following the market turmoil triggered by her government’s mini-budget. Javid said he no longer speaks to Truss.

During the festival discussion, Javid also addressed broader concerns about the state of British politics. “Has the calibre of politicians declined in recent years? Yes. I think dramatically. But it would be unfair to blame that just on the politicians. The politicians reflect what you vote for. 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,” he said.

Javid advocated for structural changes to improve political leadership, including reducing the number of Members of Parliament and doubling their salaries. “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. So to some extent, you get what you pay for. We should half the number of MPs and double their salaries,” he said.

The former cabinet minister, who held senior roles including home secretary, health secretary, and chancellor under three prime ministers, resigned as health secretary in July 2022 during the wave of departures that precipitated Johnson’s exit. He later stepped down as an MP ahead of the 2024 general election and joined Centricus, a private equity and asset management firm based in Mayfair. Javid also serves as chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Asked about Conservative MPs defecting to Reform UK, Javid responded, “Good riddance.”