Faizah Gilani, London
The position the chancellor of the Exchequer is extremely important in British politics. Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, John Major and Gordon Brown are a few names who went on to become the Prime Minister from this position. Until recently Sajid Javid, son of a Pakistani bus driver, served as the chancellor of the Exchequer. He was the first Muslim minister of a Pakistani descent to have held such a coveted post.
But his shock resignation in February made him the shortest serving Chancellor in the country’s history so far. Insider believe this was the result of brewing tensions between Javid’s team and the PM’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, for months. The Prime Minister’s chief advisor, Cummings, seen as Boris Johnson’s most trusted advisor, wanted more control over economic policy and spending plans. Political drama reached its climax when Boris Johnson asked the former Chancellor Javid to fire all his advisers. Sajid Javid refused, saying it was something “no self-respecting minister” could accept.
No one had expected Sajid Javaid’s resignation, but the former Chancellor chose to stand by his principles, and team, who he commended for working “incredibly hard.”
In his resignation letter, Javid explained that he could not accept the Prime Minister’s conditions. He wrote, “I believe it is important as leaders to have trusted teams that reflect the character and integrity that you would wish to be associated with.”
For Prime Minister Johnson, this was all about seizing control over the treasury. Sajid Javid reused to budge and stood his ground for principles.
Overall media reporting of Sajid Javid’s resignation has been in favour of the former Chancellor, with questions raised over Boris Johnson’s evident power grabbing move.
The new Chancellor Rishi Sunak appears to be more than happy with the new set up and is willing to work with advisers from No. 10 but losing a Chancellor is not a small matter in British politics.
With Sajid Javid gone, there is no high-ranking Muslim minister, or one of Pakistani descent.His resignation lent weight also to all those who have been complaining of increased racial and religious discrimination.
The conservative party in general has been accused of racism and Islamophobia in recent times. Conservative party’s Baroness Warsi, who served in David Cameron’s cabinet, has been very vocal about Islamophobia on all levels within the party, and critical of the leadership’s failure to stamp it out. During the general elections, the Conservative party attacked the opposition Labour Party, using the issue of anti-Semitism.
There is no doubt that Labour has not done enough to eradicate anti-Semitic sentiments from its party, therefore losing the trust of many Jewish supporters and voters. Unfortunately, conservatives have failed to self-reflect and look within their own party failing to acknowledge that Islamophobic sentiments run deep within the party. Although Sajid Javid’s resignation does not come down to his ethnicity, and even though he has been replaced by someone of Indian descent, it does not reflect well on the conservative party and leadership either.
It would have been better optics for Boris Johnson, who came into office with a thumping majority, to hold on to a Muslim minister of Pakistani descent, considering recent accusations levelled at his party. He himself has more than often been accused of racism. In the recent Brit Awards 2020, acknowledging and awarding musical talent, Dave Orobosa Omoregie, a rap artist, performed a song in which he dedicated a verse to Boris Johnson, calling him a racist.
His performance has got everyone talking, with media coverage and social media unsurprisingly going berserk. A performer using a huge platform to call out the Prime Minister over race is not a small issue. These events are covered both globally and internationally, and when an artist sings about the Prime Minister being a racist, it will grab attention. But Boris Johnson has always seemed unfazed by these accusations and it does not seem as though he is in the mood to prove otherwise. In fact, there is a lot that does not paint the Prime Minister in a positive light.
Whether it was comparing Muslim women in burqas to “bank robbers and letterboxes”, to writing about “Islam being the problem,” Boris Johnson has hardly evoked confidence among the Muslim community. So, the latest controversy surrounding Sajid Javid’s resignation, further raises questions about Boris Johnson’s intentions as to how he looks at the British Muslim community. But when we speak of this topic, we cannot ignore how Sajid Javid himself , too, approached the issue of Islamophobia within the party.
Sajid Javid has in the past, defended his party against accusations of Islamophobia, citing himself as an example, suggesting that his inclusion within the party disproves this claim. There have, however, been instances where Sajid Javid has claimed that he does not practice any particular faith, but when it comes to defending his party against accusations of racism, he has conveniently referred to being Muslim, and of Pakistani descent. Unfortunately, the former Chancellor has done very little to push his party leader over Islamophobia.
During the BBC debate for party leader last year, all candidates had agreed that there should be an independent enquiry into Islamophobia within the party. Sajid Javid and Boris Johnson were both part of that debate. However, this was later downgraded to a general investigation into all types of prejudice, a clear backtrack on what was promised. Following this downgrade, the Muslim Council of Britain expressed its disappointment, stating that the move “showed unwillingness to deal with bigotry,” And this has been the main issue with the party. Not only does the party refuse to accept that there is an issue, it does not want to carry out an independent enquiry that would help highlight and tackle the problem.
Sajid Javid may have earned himself a pat on the back for resigning on principle. It may in the long run reflect negatively on a party that is already seen as Islamophobic. This might further put off supporters from the Muslim and Pakistani community. But one cannot ignore the fact that Sajid Javid, like other ministers belonging to ethnic minority groups, has done little to tackle racism with his own party.
The writer has studied History and Politics at Queen Mary, University of London. And Near and Middle East Studies at SOAS, University of London.
