Sajid Javid on childhood beatings, petty crime and his rise.

Sajid Javid’s new memoir, The Colour of Home, recounts being arrested as a teenager for cheating slot machines and describes a strict family upbringing that included physical punishment; it also traces his later career from banking into senior government roles and charity work.

Sajid Javid has published a childhood memoir, The Colour of Home, which re-examines episodes from his youth and the path that led him into senior political office. The book revisits an incident in his early teens when he and his younger brother were arrested for cheating amusement park slot machines and later given police cautions. It also describes a strict family upbringing, episodes of racial hostility, and tensions over an early relationship that his parents initially opposed. The memoir is presented alongside Javid’s account of a long career in banking, senior government roles and later charitable work. Key facts: - As a teenager Javid and his brother were arrested for cheating fruit machines; the brothers were later cautioned by police. - He describes repeated physical punishment by his father and has said he regards hitting a child as abuse, while also saying he forgave his father. - The book recounts episodes of racism and family objections to his early relationship with Laura; the family later accepted her and the couple remain married. - Javid moved from a banking career into politics, held senior posts including Home Secretary, resigned twice during Boris Johnson’s premiership, and left Parliament in 2024. - His brother Bas later became a senior police officer; another brother, Tariq, died by suicide in 2018, and Javid has said proceeds from the book will go to the Samaritans. Summary: The Colour of Home links personal history to public life by describing formative childhood events and how they shaped Javid’s views on social cohesion and public policy. The memoir is published by Abacus on February 5 and Javid frames it as an intimate account rather than a political manifesto; his future public plans are undetermined at this time.