Morgan will stand down after ‘abuse for doing job’
CULTURE SECRETARY Nicky Morgan has announced she will not stand in the forthcoming General Election.
She has represented Loughborough for the Conservatives since 2010 and was previously Education Secretary.
In a post on Twitter last night, she said: “For the first time in 18 years I won’t be a candidate in the next General Election. I’ve loved being #Loughborough’s voice in Westminster since 2010 & being DCMS Secretary – & I look forward to supporting the PM, Government, Conservative Party and my successor in the future.”
Earlier yesterday, Tory former de facto deputy prime minister Sir David Lidington and former Cabinet member Amber Rudd said they too would stand down.
In a letter to the Loughborough Conservatives chairman Trevor Ranson, Mrs Morgan wrote: “Dear Trevor, I am writing to confirm that I will not be asking Loughborough Conservatives to re-adopt me as your candidate at the forthcoming General Election.
“After nearly a decade as Loughborough’s MP and over 15 years as a local campaigner here I have made the very difficult decision that I can’t commit to another fiveyear term and now is the time for me to stand aside and be at home far more.”
It continued: “Being Loughborough’s MP has been the greatest privilege of my life. I love the constituency work and am confident that with the help of my brilliant staff since 2010 we have been able to help thousands of constituents with their problems and queries.
“Being an MP offers many fantastic opportunities. Apart from the wonderful people I meet daily, and the fabulous organisations I work with, I have always believed that it is through politics that real and positive change can be made to our communities and country.
“But the clear impact on my family and the other sacrifices involved in, and the abuse for, doing the job of a modern MP can only be justified if, ultimately, Parliament does what it is supposed to do – represent those we serve in all areas of policy, respect votes cast by the electorate and make decisions in the national interest.”
TORY FORMER de-facto Deputy Prime Minister Sir David Lidington has announced he will not stand in the forthcoming General Election.
The Aylesbury MP’s decision comes after his former Cabinet colleague Amber Rudd said she too would stand down as an MP ahead of the poll in December.
Sir David cited the “heavy cost” of politics on family life in a letter to The Bucks Herald newspaper.
He said: “After a great deal of thought I have decided not to seek re-election at the forthcoming General Election.
“Politics imposes a heavy cost on family and private life. That is not a complaint: people who seek elected office do so voluntarily.
“But I have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for me to give a higher priority in terms of my time and energy, to Helen and my family who have given unstinting support to me during more than a quarter of a century in the House of Commons.”
Former Tory home secretary Amber Rudd, who had a majority of just 346 at the last election in her Hastings and Rye constituency, said she was not “finished with politics” but was “just not standing at this election”.
She resigned from the Cabinet and surrendered the Tory whip over Brexit in September, but told the Evening Standard she would be leaving the Commons on “perfectly good terms” with Boris Johnson.
Her decision last month to quit the parliamentary party came after 21 of her colleagues lost the Tory whip when they backed a plan to take control of the Commons timetable to pass legislation to block a no-deal Brexit.
Ten of the rebel MPs had the party whip restored by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday evening.
Asked if she had any regrets, Ms Rudd said: “I felt I made the right steps at those critical points and I am pleased that the Prime Minister has now restored the whip to some of those colleagues.”
She did not rule out a return to Westminster in the future, but said there were “many other things I want to do”.
Several other senior parliamentarians have also announced that they will not stand at the forthcoming election in December.
Conservative grandee Sir Patrick McLoughlin, who has served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Transport Secretary and Conservative Party chairman, said he would not seek reelection in his Derbyshire Dales constituency.
Ann Coffey also announced she is standing down as Stockport MP.
Politics imposes a heavy cost on family and private life. Sir David Lidington, formerly the de-facto deputy prime minister