Former health secretary Sajid Javid has announced he will not stand again as an MP at the next general election. However he has pledged to continue to support the Prime Minister “in any way I can”.
He said his decision had been “accelerated” by the fact MPs have been asked to confirm their intentions for contending the next nationwide poll at an “early stage”. He becomes the latest in a steady stream of Tory MPs to say they will step back at the next election, which will be no later than January 2025, as the party struggles to recover from a slump in the polls.
Senior Conservatives including Chloe Smith and William Wragg have also announced they will not be running again. Mr Javid, who also previously served in the prominent Cabinet roles of chancellor and home secretary, said he had “wrestled” with the choice for “some time”, and was “very proud” of his work in Parliament and government.
