George v the dragon
Pro-remainer in veiled threat to May He will take on PM from his editor’s chair
GEORGE Osborne yesterday announced he was quitting as an MP – with a veiled warning he could be a thorn in Theresa May’s side.
The former Chancellor, fired from the Cabinet by Mrs May last year, said he was standing down to focus on his new job as editor of the Evening Standard.
And he said he would use his influence to hold the Government to account by battling for the “Britain I love”.
The pro-remainer’s words were seen as a warning he was ready to take the fight to the PM if she pushes for a hard Brexit and tries to limit immigration.
Mr Osborne’s departure also saves him the embarrassment of a Commons inquiry into MPs having second jobs.
Fellow pro-EU Tory MP, the grandee Kenneth Clarke, 76, could also cause problems for the Prime Minister after announcing he intends to stand again at the snap general election on June 8.
DEADLINE
Embarrassingly for Mr Osborne, his statement was too late for his paper’s main print deadline and was only run in a few final copies.
His letter to constituents in Tatton, Cheshire, also hinted at a possible future political comeback. He wrote: “I am stepping down from the House of Commons – for now. But I will remain active in the debate about our country’s future and on the issues I care about, like the success of the Northern Powerhouse.”
Osborne, 45, added: “I want a Britain that is free, open, diverse and works with other nations to defend our democratic values in the world. I will go on fighting for that Britain I love from the editor’s chair of a great newspaper. It’s still too early to be writing my memoirs.” A spokeswoman for Mrs May said she “wishes him well” but refused to say if he spoke to the PM before announcing he was quitting. Mr Osborne, who was sat in a corner on the back benches
yesterday, has faced criticism for taking on the editorship of the London paper while still an MP. He has also lined his pockets with other jobs.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life has been preparing a probe into whether ex-ministers face greater potential conflicts of interest when they take up outside work.
The findings of the review were set be reported to the House of Commons Committee on Standards’ review of the Code of Conduct for MPs in June, but Mrs May’s surprise election throws that into doubt. Mr Osborne will also now avoid becoming embroiled.
Meanwhile, Labour MPs reacted to his sudden departure last night.
Anna Turley said: “It’s good riddance from me. George Osborne leaves a legacy of rising child poverty, shrinking wages, decimated public services and a bleaker, more unequal Britain.”
Hull MP Karl Turner added: “Osborne won’t be missed. Having spent years taking much-needed cash from Britain’s most vulnerable people, he is now off to line his own pockets even further. Even by Tory standards this guy is utterly shameless.”
Former Deputy PM Nick Clegg noted that he was now the only surviving member of the “quad” that led the Tory-Liberal Democrat Coalition from 2010-15. The other two were ex-PM David Cameron who quit last year and Lib Dem Sir Danny Alexander, who lost his seat at the 2015 election. Mr Clegg is intending to stand again in his Sheffield Hallam seat in June. Former Chancellor Ken Clarke previously said he intended to step down at the 2020 general election. But he will also stand in his Rushcliffe seat in Nottinghamshire. The pro-European, first elected in 1970, was the only Tory MP to vote against the triggering of Article 50. Shortly before yesterday’s crucial vote on an early election, the back benches were disappointingly empty with only around 30 Tory MPs turning out.