Bullish Commons debut from Javid - but little warmth for Hancock from MPs

It was Liam Fox, another former cabinet minister hoping for a recall, who told Sajid Javid during his Commons statement that he was “back in his rightful place” on the government front bench.

“Another clear example of the government’s commitment to recycling,” Dr Fox added, prompting a grinning Mr Javid to agree that he too was in favour of recycling.

As debuts go, Mr Javid’s statement could hardly have gone better.

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There was praise and warm good wishes from MPs of all parties, even if Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth did warn him: “A word to the wise…”

There was little warmth, however, for the departed Matt Hancock.

There was only a very muted muttering of “Hear, hear” from Tory MPs when Mr Javid paid tribute to his predecessor. And there was silence when Mr Javid suggested Mr Hancock may “have more to offer in public life”.

And what could Jeremy Hunt, Mr Hancock’s predecessor who now chairs the Health Select Committee, have meant when he said Mr Javid would bring “experience, ability and integrity” to his new job? Integrity? Was that a dig at Mr Hancock?

Despite predictions ahead of his statement that the new health secretary would push for lockdown to end “as soon as possible”, Mr Javid surprised no-one when he said he wasn’t going to bring forward the step four “freedom day” to before 19 July.

But he said firmly that July 19 “remains our target date” and cheered up gloomy Tory backbenchers when he said it wasn’t just a “terminus”, as described by Boris Johnson, but also a “new journey for our country”.

There may have been no policy shifts, tweaks or U-turns, but Mr Javid’s tone throughout was bullish and upbeat and his stirring words in his peroration delighted many MPs.

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“I welcome his tone,” Tory MP Mark Harper, who leads the lockdown-sceptic COVID Recovery Group, told him.

Naturally, not all Tory backbenchers were satisfied. “I’m looking for a change in policy, not a change in tone,” chuntered a grumpy Steve Brine, who was a junior health minister under Mr Hunt.

Mr Ashworth had a series of questions for Mr Javid, on NHS pay, the cancer operations backlog, social care, NHS re-organisation – which he wants scrapped – and junior health minister Lord Bethell, whose sacking he demanded.

Here again, Mr Javid was upbeat. He promised a “fair pay settlement” for NHS staff and said social care “remains an absolute priority for the government”, though Mr Ashworth got nowhere on NHS re-organisation or Lord Bethell.

And amid all the harmony – mostly – across the chamber, the new health secretary even had good news for church-goers currently barred from singing hymns during services.

Why, former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers demanded to know, when 50,000 football fans can chant and shout in a stadium, can’t people sing hymns in church?

And on that, like everything else, Mr Javid said he hoped to have good news as soon as possible. Hallelujah!

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