Pakistani bus driver’s son becomes UK’s culture minister

10 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 693 Views

London – British Prime Minister David Cameron has promoted a state school educated former banker and a high flying female lawyer to his Cabinet in the wake of the resignation of Maria Miller, daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Sajid Javid, whose bus driver father is from Pakistan and went on to make millions in the City, moves up from a junior Treasury role to replace Mrs Miller as Culture secretary. Javid, 44, is one of the few working class Conservatives in the Cabinet.  He was born in Rochdale. He grew up in Bristol, where he went to a comprehensive school before studying economics and politics at Exeter University.

Nicky Morgan has been promoted to Mr Javid’s old job as Economic Secretary to the Treasury. It is not known who is replacing Miss Morgan.

Miss Morgan has also been given policy responsibility for women’s affairs, which gives her the right to attend Cabinet. Mr Javid is understood to have been given Mrs Miller’s equalities brief.

Both Mr Javid and Miss Morgan were elected to Parliament in 2010 after the expenses scandal. The mini-shuffle – which was announced on Twitter – mean that there are now five women and two Asians who have a right to attend Cabinet.

The appointments have given Mr Cameron the ability to take on critics who have repeatedly pointed to the number of private school educated politicians in the Cabinet. More than half of the Cabinet, including David Cameron, the Prime Minister, George Osborne, the Chancellor, and Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, are thought to have gone to private school and are independently very wealthy.

Last Autumn, Mr Javid was one of those critics, saying that the lack of social mobility in British public life is “troubling”.

Mr Javid said: “It should trouble every politician of any background and any party because you can never have enough of it.” Miss Morgan voted against allowing same sex couples to marry. Last February she said: “There have been plenty of little changes down the years but what’s never been changed is that the fact that marriage is between a man and a woman. “I totally support civil partnerships and that same-sex relationships are recognised in law. But marriage, to me, is between a man and a woman.” Labour seized on the mini-reshuffle as further evidence that Mr Cameron had a “problem” with women.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow Home secretary, said on Twitter: “Another Cameron (mini) reshuffle, & result is even fewer women in full Cabinet positions. What is David Cameron’s problem with women?”
Asked why Mr Cameron had not promoted a woman the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that Mr Javid was the “right person for the job”.

Mr Javid has said in the past that he saw Margaret Thatcher as an “inspiration”. He entered Parliament in 2010 after running Deutsche Bank’s trading operations in Asia, where he is reported by Bloomberg to have earned around £3million a year.

Miss Morgan, born in Kingston upon Thames, grew up in Surbiton High School, before studying law at St Hugh’s college, Oxford. She qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and worked as a corporate lawyer specialising in mergers and acquisitions.

source: nation.com.pk

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