Sajid Javid, the former Conservative chancellor, declared that endorsing Liz Truss in the 2022 Tory leadership race stands as his "biggest mistake in politics." Javid made the admission while speaking at the Hay festival in Wales to promote his memoir.
Truss won the leadership contest and became prime minister, but her tenure lasted just 49 days, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. Her government collapsed following economic chaos triggered by her mini-budget, which spooked financial markets and forced the Bank of England to intervene.
Javid, who stepped down as an MP and is no longer in Parliament, remains connected to some Conservative colleagues. He also expressed dismissive views toward party members defecting to Reform UK, telling the Hay audience "good riddance" to those Tory MPs who switched parties.
His comments reflect broader regret within Conservative circles about the Truss experiment. Many senior Tories have since distanced themselves from backing her leadership bid, which faced fierce opposition from other contenders like Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat. Javid's public admission carries weight given his high-profile role as chancellor under Boris Johnson before he quit that position in 2022 in protest over Johnson's handling of misconduct allegations.
The timing of Javid's comments comes as the Conservative Party continues grappling with its identity and direction following successive leadership turnovers. His memoir appearances signal an attempt to shape his legacy and offer insider perspective on recent party turbulence. The candor about supporting Truss underscores how toxic that endorsement has become in retrospect within Conservative circles, cementing her premiership as a cautionary tale about rushed leadership decisions during periods of party instability.