Having sensationally resigned from his role as the UK’s Health Secretary, Sajid Javid has revealed that he quit his Cabinet-appointed role after hearing a sermon by an evangelical pastor.
Last week, the Bromsgrove MP announced his resignation—along with 56 party members—forcing Boris Johnson to retire as leader of the UK.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday Show, the Conservative member explained that his reasoning to depart from the Cabinet came after a sermon performed by Reverend Les Isaac on integrity and responsibility. The sermon was held during a parliamentary prayer breakfast where other MPs, including Boris Johnson, were in attendance.
“I was listening to [Reverend Les Isaac] talking about the importance of integrity in public life and, just focusing on that, I made up my mind,” Javid said. “I went straight back to my office and drafted the resignation letter and went to see the prime minister later in the day.”
Javid said the sermon made him realise it was his duty to stand up for himself and the country and the government didn’t align with his morals and values anymore. However, he isn’t the only one who has been convinced by the pastor to change his ways.
Founded by Reverend Les Isaac in 2003, the Street Pastors Initiative is run by a collective of volunteers working for safer streets across the UK by “caring, listening and helping” in vulnerable communities. The collective operates in more than 240 cities in Britain and has trained over 12,000 street and prayer pastors who offer physical and emotional support in times of need.
Javid announced his resignation on Twitter just minutes before Rishi Sunak shared his decision to step down as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The pair claimed they did not coordinate their actions.
Many resignations were prompted after it was revealed that Johnson had appointed Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip, despite being made aware of the sexual harassment allegations against the Tory member.
With more and more MPs following suit, last Thursday (7 June), Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister, claiming that a suitable candidate would need both experience and a new Conservative economic plan to get Britain back on track.
A replacement is expected to be announced on Sept. 5.
