Michael Gove becomes latest high-profile Tory to stand down
Cabinet minister Michael Gove has become the latest high-profile Tory MP to announce he is standing down ahead of the July 4 election.
The Housing Secretary joined a growing parliamentary exodus as he praised Rishi Sunak for representing “the very best virtues” of the Tory party but said “it is time to leave”.
Mr Gove, who has been MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, said: “I know the toll office can take, as do those closest to me. No-one in politics is a conscript.
“We are volunteers who willingly choose our fate. And the chance to serve is wonderful. But there comes a moment when you know that it is time to leave. That a new generation should lead.”
Post-war record
A post-war record of nearly 80 Conservative MPs have stepped down ahead of the General Election as the party languishes behind Labour in opinion polls.
The total number not seeking re-election on July 4 hit 77 on Friday, surpassing the previous record of 72 who quit prior to Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory for Labour.
In a letter to the chairman of Surrey Heath Conservatives posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Gove conceded he had “undoubtedly made mistakes” throughout his political career but said he had always “tried to be a voice for those who have been overlooked and undervalued”.
Support
In a show of support for Mr Sunak as campaigning for the General Election gets under way, he added: “We have a Prime Minister who I know exemplifies the patriotism, hard work, sense of selfless service and clarity of purpose which are the very best virtues of our party.
“He also has the policies which will guarantee a brighter, more prosperous future.”
Mr Sunak’s decision to call a summer election surprised many in Westminster, who had been expecting an autumn poll.
The news has caused disquiet among some Tory MPs fearful of losing their jobs, and reports suggest some Cabinet ministers voiced concerns about the decision.
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Good old Sunak, he got that iceberg dead center…
Gove slithers off back into the shady back-alleys of Thurrock…
or will he be the next DG of the BBC…
or our ‘man in the white suit’ in Columbia…
Guilty man, one of many, but him and Cummings…
the damage they have done between them…
Bloke that brought Cummings into government back in the day. How did that turn out?
Bye bye slimy Govey and take your ‘Levelling up’ lie with you.
Twas brillig, and the smithy gove did slither off to pastures new… Leaving us to long lament the doings of his snearful crew
All these Tory MPs jumping ship should have to surrender their passports until after the trial…Nuremberg style…
Every member of the tory party should be charged with treason and to face long prison sentences for the damage they have done to Cymru, yr Alban, Gogledd Iwerddon and lloegr!
Leadsom going as well. She tried to tell Pascal Lamy about brexit and got schooled in reality but didn’t see the lesson. Another brexit lover that ruined the UK through sheer ignorance.
I suspect he intends to cross the Atlantic to join the ranks of the right wing political grifters. The US election campaign is too golden an opportunity to miss to launch such a career. He is of course conceited enough to think he’d retain his seat if he ran.
It’s ironic seeing Tory twerp Michael Gove is standing down as an MP after the general election. Not many people know this, but before this bag of fun entered politics was a failed standup comedian. With that said, he did realise his dream. He was a joke in office. And a bad one at that.