Immigrant's son, poor family,makes good - to be admired or denigrated? Sajid Javid is a British success story

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100267269/labour-fears-sajid-javid-because-hes-everything-its-not-working-class-non-white-successful/
Sajid Javid is being attacked for hauling himself up by his bootstraps. For being aspirational, hard working, and making money...oh and being a banker.
I have included the whole of Dan Hodges article above to let you judge for yourselves, but as Dan writes "it’s now official Labour Party policy to hate the rich."
The approach is now to denounce the aspirational. Read Sajid's life story and you realise that the two Ed's and the Labour Party really do intend to wage a campaign of class warfare to try to secure power in 2015. I find it profoundly depressing.

Labour talks a good game about the importance of working-class political representation.
It also likes to sound off occasionally about the importance of greater ethnic diversity. But look at the comments about how Sajid is treated in the article. His dad arrived at Heathrow airport in 1961, with £1 in his pocket. He worked in a cotton mill, as a bus driver, and on a market stall. Javid himself was born less than a year after Enoch Powell delivered his Rivers of Blood speech. He grew up in Rochdale, and then moved to Bristol. He went to a local comprehensive school, then university then embarked on a successful career in finance. Then, at the height of his success, he quit his £3 million-a-year job to enter public service. He became an MP earning £65,000 a year. And last week he became the first ever Asian Secretary of State.

At which point the Labour party – the Labour Party – attacked him. Because they think he’s too rich. And worked for a bank. How did they get themselves in a position whereby they are running down the first working-class Asian kid to hold the seals of office?
We have to stop this denigration of the wealth creators. In America they would be celebrated, admired. They create jobs and taxes.

And here is the key thing: without success there are no taxes for public services. All the things that we treasure in this country [our NHS, our Armed Services, our rule of law- I could go on]
still has to be earnt and paid for by the men and women who are running small and larger businesses up and down the country. So when a son of an aspirational migrant makes money and then gives it up for public service and succeeds ......
 surely we should be pleased not denigrating him?

Momentum building on our campaign to raise the minimum wage

Regular readers will know that I have long campaigned for a voluntary living wage and an enhanced minimum wage.

I am pleased that as the economy recovers the ability to address the minimum wage becomes ever more likely. Yesterday my colleague at Treasury, the minister Sajid Javid said there is a ‘strong case to look at’ raising the minimum wage, joining Matt Hancock's long campaign support on this issue; this is an issue that even right wingers have changed upon. For example, on Newsnight Mark Reckless, the right-wing Tory MP told the programme that he had been wrong to oppose it previously and that it would be a good thing:

‘I would 10 years ago have said no to [an increase in the minimum wage] for the same reason I opposed it, which is because I was concerned it was going to cost jobs. I think the evidence has not borne that out as much as was fit and I think two very important things have changed, and that is one it would actually save the taxpayers’ money because of the extent to which the taxpayer is topping up low wages through tax credits.’

I will continue to make the case to the Chancellor that this is something he is now able to do in the next Budget, as the economy recovers, and in harmony with the ever increasing voluntary sign up to the Living Wage.

Who are the Westminster stars of 2014? My take on who did well in 2013 & the future

It is that time of year to do a political review and give predictions for 2013:

Labour: this year we said goodbye to some great Labour figures - whether it was John Healey confined to the backbenchers or Jim Murphy demoted. But my favourite line was when Jack Straw was being hailed, shortly after his retirement was announced for his long service, and he shot up to announce: "I am not dead yet!"
My congratulations for 2013, however, go to Paul Blomfield, for his campaign on pay day lending. He is both a friend of mine and a good MP, and he carried on what Stella Creasey started.
The common sense star of the year is an unlikely choice. Eric Joyce is a maverick, a delight to talk to but struggling with demons, notably drink. But he is also very wise, and very critical of political correctness, which definitely exists in spades in parts of the Labour Party. I liked this recent Spectator piece on him:
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/alex-massie/2013/12/in-praise-of-eric-joyce/

It is genuinely worth a read.
Clearly the rise of the very upper class Tristram Hunt proves the theory of the article wrong but...
My Labour MP to watch in 2014 in the Commons is Natascha Engel, the chair of the backbench business committee, and someone who is being talked about on all sides as the next Speaker, if she wants it. Unlike many MPs on all sides she does the job for all the right reasons, and is much liked.

Conservative: although Sajid Javid is clearly one to watch for the long term leadership, one new ministerial name stands out for me. The rising star of 2013, and a likely star of 2014, is Nicky Morgan, recently Promoted into the Treasury. Some people fit naturally into the job and she has really impressed in the Commons. My guess is that she will be promoted again, as the PM seeks to promote more women up the ministerial ladder.

As to the big guns. ... The cabinet will not stay the same all the way until the general election and there will be opportunities for other middle ranking ministers to get promoted. All of us in the parliamentary party admired in particular Alastair Burt, who was an outstanding minister at the foreign office; he should be given another job if at all possible.
If I had to pick one 2010 Conservative backbencher who should have been promoted, but was not, then I would select the outstanding Paul Uppal, MP for Wolverhampton SW. He is a mate of mine, but he typifies the new Conservative party of 2010 and beyond. Bear in mind he represents the seat of Enoch Powell ... and he is an ethnic son of a migrant: his wiki site is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Uppal

Liberal: their best backbencher is definitely Duncan Hames, but my star of the year is Jeremy Browne. In effect, his predicament defines so much of what ails the Lib Dems. I worked with him at the Home Office, and although Norman Baker has been an excellent and entirely reliable replacement, Jeremy was sacked by Clegg for no reason at all. What the liberals do next almost defines which way the liberal democrat party will go? They have an upcoming Deputy Leadership election and it will decide their direction of travel. Do they go left wing, and try to become even more left wing than the Labour Party? If so then there are plenty of options like Sarah Teather or Tessa Munt they could choose. Or do they advocate liberal beliefs in a modern orange book world of fiscal discipline and pragmatism. If so they should choose an orange book liberal like Jeremy. I fear that they will go left wing. Given the electoral projections for 2015 that has very significant consequences for this country.

The future for regional banks event 6/11 with Sajid Javid

Very excited that we have now sorted the agenda for our second regional banking event
The Future for Regional Banks event takes place next Wednesday at
Sixty One Whitehall London SW1A 2ET Over 150 people are coming, including over 15 media organisations. We are keeping speeches short so that we can get as many questions in.
There is still time to come along. There is still time to set up your local bank!

Agenda
09.00-09.40   Registration
09.40-09.45  Welcome
Guy Opperman, MP for Hexham, event chairman

09.45-10.00   Introduction
Anthony Thomson, Founder & Former Chairman of Metro Bank & Chairman of the Financial Services Forum & the National Skills Academy for Financial Services                                  

10.00-10.15   Speech -  Sajid Javid, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and MP for Bromsgrove

10.15-10.30  1st Panel Discussion
        Jeff Prestridge, Editor, Mail on Sunday (7-8 minutes)
         Sam Woods, Prudential Regulatory Authority (7-8 minutes)
        Sajid Javid, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and MP for Bromsgrove
        Anthony Thomson

11.00-11.30   Coffee Break

11.30-12.00   2nd Panel Discussion
Nicola Wildman, Manager, Banking Authorities, The Financial Conduct Authority (10  minutes)
Thomas Keidel, Director of Financial Market Relations, German Savings Banks Association (10 minutes)
Lakshman Chandrasekera, Chief Executive, London Mutual Credit Union (10 minutes)
12.30-13.30   Buffet Lunch

UPDATE: Jeff Prestridges short article on the conference from Sunday's Mail on Sunday
Fierce competition – supported by easy switching – is key to ensuring consumers are better served by the financial services industry. It’s an argument leading business academics such as David Llewellyn, Professor of Money and Banking at Loughborough University, have been banging on about for ages.
Llewellyn is a big believer in a diverse marketplace populated by vibrant building societies, credit unions and friendly societies as well as shareholder-owned banks and financial firms. And it’s a theme that will be taken up this Wednesday when a mix of bankers, regulators and politicians meet to explore the appetite for the creation of numerous regional banks that could challenge the status quo.
The one-day conference is being spearheaded by Anthony Thomson, former chairman of challenger bank Metro. He is adamant more banks are needed so better financial products are offered, customer service improves and mis-selling is brought to an end.
Thomson wants more banks that are community focused and alive to the financial needs of growing local businesses – the bedrock of our economy. Such a model is one Handelsbanken already adopts here with great success.
With the regulators making it slightly easier for new banking entrants to be authorised, he is confident 15 new banks could open in the UK in the next five years. Let’s hope he is right.