LONDON: Two senior UK lawmakers on Friday became the latest from the ruling Conservatives to announce that they will stand down at the next election, as Rishi Sunak’s party appears headed for defeat.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said he had made the “painful decision” not to fight his seat in the nationwide vote, expected in the second half of this year.
His announcement came late on Thursday after Brandon Lewis, a former chairman of the Tories who was also Northern Ireland and justice secretary, said he would not be a candidate.
At least 66 Conservatives and former Conservatives have now announced they are leaving Parliament at the election — the most since Labour’s landslide win under Tony Blair in 1997.
The most high-profile of them is former Prime Minister Theresa May, who revealed last week that she would step down after 27 years as an MP.
The retirements add to a growing feeling in Westminster that the election will see the Tories kicked out of government after 14 years in power.
Since October 2022, the Conservatives have consistently trailed the main Labour opposition, led by Keir Starmer, in national surveys.
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