"I would support the reintroduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrence."
Sajid Javid has been named the Business Secretary in David Cameron’s new Conservative government.
The British Pakistani MP succeeds Liberal Democrat’s Vince Cable after the Conservatives won the UK General Election on May 8, 2015.
Javid is well-linked in the business world, having worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York and served as senior Managing Director at Deutsche Bank AG.
As the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport since 2014, he is also well-equipped to tackle political challenges in his new role.
But the biggest area of concern for him will be university fees.
While the Conservatives have promised to improve the quality of higher education and ‘deliver the best possible value for money to students’, the question remains of how this can be achieved.
For Javid, it would seem the answer lies between either raising tuition fees from £9,000, or reducing the hefty charges so that more people can gain access to higher education.
Another tough decision he is expected to make will revolve around the role of international students.
His predecessor, Cable, often called for a ‘warmer welcome’ to overseas students who contributed the majority of university funding every year.
Cable’s supportive stance regularly put him head-to-head with Home Secretary, Theresa May, who had tightened student visa requirement to control immigration problems.
Javid will have to assess whether overseas students should be de-classified as immigrants and excluded from the government’s immigration cap.
Another British Asian MP has also been appointed in David Cameron’s all Conservative government.
Priti Patel, the MP for Witham, replaces Esther McVey as the new Employment Minister. Patel was Treasury Minister in Cameron’s previous government.
The long-standing member of the Conservatives Party strongly believes in the criminal system. She even expressed support for the death penalty in 2011.
She said: “I would support the reintroduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrence.
“I do think we do not have enough deterrence in this country for criminals and let’s not forget, murders and rapists and criminals of that nature chose to commit the crimes they commit.”
Here are the key roles in the new Conservative cabinet:
First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Exchequer
George Osborne
Home Secretary
Theresa May
Foreign Secretary
Philip Hammond
Defence Secretary
Michael Fallon
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary
Michael Gove
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House Of Commons
Chris Grayling
Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities
Nicky Morgan
Chief Whip
Mark Harper
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Lady Tina Stowell
Energy and Climate Change Secretary
Amber Rudd
Business Secretary
Sajid Javid
Minister for Employment
Priti Patel
Mayor of London
Boris Johnson
Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party
Robert Halfon
Culture Secretary
John Whittingdale
Minister for Small Business
Anna Soubry
Work and Pensions Secretary
Iain Duncan Smith
Transport Secretary
Patrick McLoughlin
Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Liz Truss
International Development Secretary
Justine Greening
Northern Ireland Secretary
Theresa Villiers
Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster & overall head of Cabinet Office
Oliver Letwin
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Greg Hands
Minister for Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Minister for Efficiency and Civil Service Reform
Matt Hancock
Secretary of State for Wales
Stephen Crabb
Secretary of State for Scotland
David Mundell
Communities and Local Government Secretary
Greg Clark
Pensions Minister
Ros Altmann
Javid and Patel’s promotions have been described as part of Cameron’s intentional move away from filling his cabinet with privately educated ministers.
In fact, almost half the new cabinet ministers hold non-privileged educational backgrounds.
We are yet to see whether this will help bring the Conservative government closer to giving the people what they need.
In the meantime, more prominent British Asian representation in politics is always a welcome move among the community.
DESIblitz congratulates Sajid Javid and Priti Patel on their new appointments!
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