SAJID Javid described himself as the “outsider,” who would become a new kind of leader for Britain as he dismissed his Tory leadership rival Boris Johnson as “yesterday’s news”.
And the Home Secretary, supported by Ruth Davidson, said he wanted to emulate the success the Scottish Conservative leader had had north of the border.
“The change she brought to Holyrood is the change I will bring to Westminster,” he declared to applause.
In a deeply personal speech, Mr Javid argued he was the right man to lead the country because of his "background, ideas and positive vision" for the future of Britain.
He said that he wanted to bring energy and ambition to the Conservatives and sought to position himself as a "next generation" candidate.
The Midlands MP, whose wife Laura was sitting in the front row, took a swipe at the "old insiders with the same old school ties"; a reference to Old Etonians Mr Johnson and Rory Stewart, and Charterhouse alumnus Jeremy Hunt.
"I'm a change candidate. Boris Johnson is yesterday's news,” insisted the father-of-four.
"He's been around in politics for a while, he's achieved a lot, he's still got a big role to play, but if we are trying to connect with the next generation and move forward as a country, then it's time for the next generation with a bold new agenda.
"What I can do in terms of the policies, being able to articulate the policies, it's not just about articulating that core message; the messenger makes a real difference as well."
The leadership campaign launch was the last of the 10 candidates and took place at the top of Millbank Tower in Westminster but it started more than an hour late because of a Commons vote.
Mr Javid, the son of a Pakistani bus driver, who grow up above the family shop in Bristol, also outlined a number of occasions when he felt like an "outsider" in his own country.
"When I was at secondary school, the other kids told me about their summer holidays. I only ever went to Rochdale on holiday, so I pretended to go on holiday and they couldn't tell whether this was a tan or not.
"I was told kids like me should know their limits and kids like me should stay in their lane.
"So when I got racially abused in school by the toughest guy in school, well, rightly or wrongly, I punched him."
On Brexit, Mr Javid said he had the experience outside of government, in a 20-year career doing multi-billion pound deals in the finance industry, to help him deliver the UK's withdrawal from the EU and said he wanted to change the controversial Irish backstop.
“Whilst no one has got perfect experience to deliver Brexit because no one has done anything like it before, with that experience I've got outside government and the experience I've got in government...I'm in a very good position to get a good Brexit deal for the UK," he added.
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