Sajid Javid: Matt Hancock replaced by Sajid Javid as health secretary

Matt Hancock resigned as health secretary with Sajid Javid taking over

Sajid Javid starts his new role as health secretary this week.

Mr Javid was appointed to the role on Saturday after previous health secretary Matt Hancock resigned after breaking social distancing guidelines.

Matt Hancock was one of the UK's most senior politicians who was responsible for the NHS in England.

Over the weekend, pictures were released which showed Mr Hancock breaking social distancing rules, kissing a colleague indoors in his government office in May this year.

Mr Hancock was in charge of the government's response to the pandemic, so a lot of people were angry that he broke the same rules he was telling the public to follow.

On Saturday, Mr Hancock resigned from his role, and in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson he said the government "owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down".

Who is Sajid Javid?

This week is Sajid Javid's first week in his new role as health secretary. But he isn't new to politics.

Mr Javid has been a Conservative MP for Bromsgrove since 2010.

He has had many roles during his time in politics including Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mr Javid is 50 years old and was born in Rochdale. His parents moved to the UK from Pakistan.

What do we expect from him?

Mr Javid only took up the job of health secretary on Saturday so he spent the weekend getting up to speed with government advisers.

In his role, he is responsible for the government's response to the pandemic and NHS England.

Today he is expected to announce to MPs whether restrictions in England can be lifted next month.

Boris Johnson said the remaining Covid measures will ease on 19 July but agreed to a data review to see if this can happen two weeks earlier on 5 July.

The government was due to lift all legal restrictions on social contact on 21 June in England, but it was delayed because of the spread of the Delta variant.

The number of coronavirus cases are rising but the government will also take into account the progress of the UK's vaccination rollout.

Lifting the remaining restrictions would mean no more face masks and meeting people indoors without limits on numbers.

Mr Javid said on Sunday that dealing with the pandemic was his "most immediate priority".

"Thanks to the fantastic efforts of our NHS and social care staff who work tirelessly every day, and our phenomenal vaccination programme, we have made enormous progress in the battle against this dreadful disease," he said.