Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Can Sajid Javid tell the story of Sajid Javid?

“I entered politics to do my best for this country,” says Sajid Javid in the video that launches his campaign, “the country that has done so much for me”. A good point, which he didn’t elaborate. A shame, because a powerful point lies therein – a point that explains who he is and his claim for the job.

Had his parents stayed in Punjab and not emigrated to Britain in the 1960s, he’d have grown up in poverty there, rather than here. What would his life have been like then? And why was it better here? The answer isn’t about natural resources or the weather: the answer lies in politics. Sometimes, the characteristics that make Britain great are best described (and appreciated) by those who are mindful that, for a twist of fate, they would have grown up somewhere else.

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