While he said he does not like to entertain such rumours, the health minister felt he was compelled to provide a reply as he had received numerous messages about the video.

“I am still with Umno,” said Khairy in an Instagram post.

“When I won the Umno Youth chief’s position (in 2009) but was not appointed to the Cabinet and was isolated, I was still with Umno.

“When we lost GE13 and there were all sorts of political persecution, I was still with Umno,” he said, referring to the 2013 general election when Barisan Nasional won less of the popular vote than the opposition for the first time.

“When I lost the (battle to be) president  (in 2018) and was looked at differently, I was still with Umno.

“Now I have to look for a new seat, but I am also still with Umno. Don’t worry. (Umno) then, now, forever.”

While the video did not explain why Khairy wanted to leave Umno, it noted that the health minister, who has been the Rembau MP since 2008, will have to make way for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan in the Rembau seat in GE15.

Mohamad, who is the head of Rembau Umno, previously said he intended to contest a parliamentary seat so that he could play a role at the federal level. He did not say which seat he would contest.

Khairy said he had been given a message by Mohamad, who is known as Tok Mat, “to get out of the way”. He said he would abide by Umno’s decision on which seat he should contest.

He has since been linked to the Port Dickson and Seremban seats in Negeri Sembilan and the Alor Setar seat in Kedah.