Former Health Secretary and reality show cast Matt Hancock on Wednesday said he will not stand for the Conservative Party at the next general election.
The 44-year-old MP for West Suffolk indicated he intends to remain as an independent MP until the next general election, before leaving Parliament.
But he was not the first one. His colleague, Conservative former minister Nadine Dorries was also temporarily suspended by the party after she agreed to appear on the show in 2012.
Hancock said it has been “a huge honour ” to represent his constituency for the past 12 years, citing achievements including establishing free schools, expanding the A11 road and a hospital, and supporting the horseracing industry.
He also said he’s “incredibly proud” of his nine years in government when he oversaw a series of events including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hancock, who finished third in the “I am a Celebrity” show, said he had “discovered new ways to ”communicate with people” on issues such as support for dyslexic children and urged the Conservative Party to “reconnect” with people.
Elected in 2010, Hancock served in a number of ministerial posts before becoming the health secretary in 2018.
The then-married minister was forced to quit in June 2021 after The Sun newspaper published CCTV image of him kissing an aide whom he had appointed to the role, during the COVID-19 pandemic when social-distancing guidance was in place.
Hancock’s announcement to stand down came two days after the loose deadline Conservative MPs were given to indicate their intention so the party would have time to select new candidates for the next general election, which will be held in January 2025 at the latest.
The mass-Tory exodus—predicted by some after the party was hit in the polls following a series of political and economic turbulence and rapid changes of prime ministers—has so far not materialised.
Out of the 356 Conservative MP’s—not including Hancock—14 have publicly declared their intention to stand down, including 53-year-old MP for Bromsgrove Sajid Javid, who also served in a number of roles including the health secretary, the home secretary, and the chancellor.
Others include: Sir Charles Walker, 55, MP for Broxbourne; Chloe Smith, 40, former work and pensions secretary and MP for Norwich North; William Wragg, 34, MP for Hazel Grove and vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers; Dehenna Davison, 29, parliamentary under secretary for levelling up and MP for Bishop Auckland; Chris Skidmore, 41, former universities minister and MP for Kingswood; Sir Gary Streeter, 67, MP for South West Devon; Douglas Ross, 39, MP for Moray and the leader of the Scottish Conservatives; Nigel Adams, 56, former minister and MP for Selby and Ainsty; Sir Mike Penning, 65, MP for Hemel Hempstead; Adam Afriyie, 57, MP for Windsor; Andrew Percy, 45, MP for Brigg and Goole; and Mark Pawsey, 65, MP for Rugby.
Some of the seats have been considered safe Conservative seats. In contrast, Liberals or Labour had held Davison’s Bishop Auckland seat for 134 years before she was elected in 2009.
Davison, who has been seen as one of the rising stars in the Conservative Party, said she hasn’t had “anything like a normal life for a 20-something” and wants to devote more time to “life outside politics—mainly to [her] family.”
Compared to the Conservatives, exiting Labour members are older and longer-serving in general.
Of the 194 Labour Party members in Parliament, 12 have said they are standing down at the next general election, including some of the longest-serving MPs.
Dame Margaret Beckett, 79, MP for Derby South, was the UK’s first female foreign secretary and served as the opposition leader during John Major’s time in No. 10. She represented the constituency since 1983.
Harriet Harman, 72, MP for Camberwell and Peckham who was Labour’s acting and deputy party leader, is the current Mother of the House—the longest-serving female MP—after working 40 consecutive years in Parliament.
Barry Sheerman, 82, MP for Huddersfield, also represented the constituency since 1983.
Others include Dame Rosie Winterton, 64, MP for Doncaster Central and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons; Dame Margaret Hodge, 78, MP for Barking; Alan Whitehead, 72, MP for Southampton and Test; Paul Blomfield, 69, MP for Sheffield Central; Colleen Fletcher, 68, MP for Coventry North East; Alex Cunningham, 67, MP for Stockton North; Wayne David, 65, MP for Caerphilly; Ben Bradshaw, 62, MP for Exeter; and Jon Cruddas, 60, MP for Dagenham and Rainham.
