Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid has issued a devastating first statement since his resignation as Boris Johnson watched on.
In his resignation statement, with Boris Johnson watching on, Sajid Javid told MPs: “It is incumbent on all of us to set high standards for ourselves and to take action when they are not met by others.”
Mr Javid, making a personal statement, said he is “instinctively a team player” but told the Commons: “Treading the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months.
“I will never risk losing my integrity.”
He continued: “I also believe a team is as good as its team captain and a captain is as good as his or her team. So, loyalty must go both ways.
“The events of recent months have made it increasingly difficult to be in that team.
“It’s not fair on ministerial colleagues to go out every morning defending lines that don’t stand up and don’t hold up.
“It’s not fair on my parliamentary colleagues, who bear the brunt of constituents’ dismay in their inboxes and on the doorsteps in recent elections.
“And it’s not fair on Conservative members and voters who rightly expect better standards from the party they supported.”
Sajid Javid told the Commons that “enough is enough”.
He added: “This week again, we have reason to question the truth and integrity of what we’ve all been told. And at some point we have to conclude that enough is enough.
“I believe that point is now.”
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