Former sports minister Tracey Crouch has said she will not be standing at the next general election, bringing the number of Tory MPs who have confirmed their decisions to stand down to 55.
Ms Crouch, who represents Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, today told the chairman of her constituency association that she would be quitting Parliament to “seek a new professional challenge”.
Other high-profile MPs who are calling it a day include former Chancellors Sir Sajid Javid and Kwasi Kwarteng, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, former Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and high-profile Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash.
Despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party lagging well behind in the polls, Ms Crouch, who completed treatment for breast cancer in 2021 after being diagnosed the previous year, insisted: “The reasons for not wishing to stand are entirely personal and positive.
“While everyone’s cancer journey is different, for me going through a diagnosis and coming out the other side of treatment has been a life-affirming experience.
“It has been an opportunity to pause and reflect on my own personal priorities and based on that I truly believe it is time to seek a new professional challenge.
“We spend far too much time in our relatively short lives putting things off but at some point, you have to say to yourself if not now, when and for me I have realised that when is now.”
Ms Crouch, 48, is the eighth MP, and sixth Conservative, this year to announce that they will quit Parliament at the election expected to take place later in 2024.
Overall, more than 80 MPs have already said they intend to stand down at the next election – more than the number who retired at the 2019 election and almost as many as retired in 2015.
In her resignation letter, Ms Crouch pledged to “continue to work tirelessly for my constituents” until the election, and looked forward to supporting whoever was selected as the Conservative candidate for her seat, which has a majority of 18,540.
First elected in 2010, Ms Crouch served as sports minister for three years under David Cameron and Theresa May, resigning in 2018 over delays to a promised reduction in the maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting machines from £100 to £2.
In 2021, she chaired a review of football governance in England triggered by the backlash to the short-lived proposals to form a European Super League. The review had been promised in the 2019 Conservative manifesto following the collapse of Bury FC.
Among the recommendations were the creation of an independent football regulator to oversee financial regulation of the men’s professional game and the imposition of a “stamp duty” on transfers between Premier League clubs.
Conservative MPs who have announced they are standing down at the next general election, as of February 6, 2024.
- Adam Afriyie, Windsor (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 20,079)
- Lucy Allan, Telford (MP since 2015; 2019 majority 10,941)
- Richard Bacon, South Norfolk (MP since 2001; 2019 majority 21,275)
- John Baron, Basildon & Billericay (MP since 2001; 2019 majority 20,412)
- Sir Paul Beresford, Mole Valley (MP since 1997; 2019 majority 12,041)
- Sir Graham Brady, Altrincham & Sale West (MP since 1997; 2019 majority 6,139)
- Steve Brine, Winchester (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 985)
- Sir Bill Cash, Stone (previously MP for Stafford 1984-97, then Stone since 1997; 2019 majority 19,945)
- Chris Clarkson, Heywood & Middleton (MP since 2019; 2019 majority 663)
- Dehenna Davison, Bishop Auckland (MP since 2019; 2019 majority 7,962)
- Jonathan Djanogly, Huntingdon (MP since 2001; 2019 majority 19,383)
- Sir James Duddridge, Rochford & Southend East (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 12,286)
- Philip Dunne, Ludlow (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 23,648)
- George Eustice, Camborne & Redruth (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 8,700)
- Mike Freer, Finchley & Golders Green (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 6,562)
- Nick Gibb, Bognor Regis & Littlehampton (MP since 1997; 2019 majority 22,503)
- Jo Gideon, Stoke-on-Trent Central (MP since 2019; 2019 majority 670)
- Sir Robert Goodwill, Scarborough & Whitby (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 10,270)
- Chris Grayling, Epsom & Ewell (MP since 2001; 2019 majority 17,873)
- Stephen Hammond, Wimbledon (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 628)
- Trudy Harrison, Copeland (MP since 2017; 2019 majority 5,842)
- Sir Oliver Heald, North East Hertfordshire (MP since 1992; 2019 majority 18,189)
- Gordon Henderson, Sittingbourne & Sheppey (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 24,479)
- John Howell, Henley (MP since 2008; 2019 majority 14,053)
- Alister Jack, Dumfries & Galloway (MP since 2017; 2019 majority 1,805)
- Sajid Javid, Bromsgrove (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 23,106)
- David Jones, Clwyd West (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 6,747)
- Sir Greg Knight, East Yorkshire (previously MP for Derby North 1983-97, then East Yorkshire since 2001; 2019 majority 22,787)
- Kwasi Kwarteng, Spelthorne (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 18,393)
- Pauline Latham, Mid-Derbyshire (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 15,385)
- Stephen McPartland, Stevenage (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 8,562)
- Sir Bob Neill, Bromley & Chislehurst (MP since 2006; 2019 majority 10,891)
- Matthew Offord, Hendon (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 4,230)
- Mark Pawsey, Rugby (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 13,447)
- Sir Mike Penning, Hemel Hempstead (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 14,563)
- Andrew Percy, Brigg & Goole (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 21,941)
- Will Quince, Colchester (MP since 2015; 2019 majority 9,423)
- Dominic Raab, Esher & Walton (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 2,743)
- Douglas Ross, Moray (MP since 2017; 2019 majority 513)
- Sir Alok Sharma, Reading West (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 4,117)
- Chloe Smith, Norwich North (MP since 2009; 2019 majority 4,738)
- Royston Smith, Southampton Itchen (MP since 2015; 2019 majority 4,498)
- Sir Gary Streeter, Devon South West (previously MP for Plymouth Sutton 1992-97, then Devon South West since 1997; 2019 majority 21,430)
- Edward Timpson, Eddisbury (previously MP for Crewe & Nantwich 2008-2017, then Crewe & Nantwich since 2019; 2019 majority 18,443)
- Sir Charles Walker, Broxbourne (MP since 2005; 2019 majority 19,807)
- Robin Walker, Worcester (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 6,758)
- Ben Wallace, Wyre & Preston North (previously MP for Lancaster & Wyre 2005-10, then Wyre & Preston North since 2010; 2019 majority 16,781)
- Craig Whittaker, Calder Valley (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 5,774)
- William Wragg, Hazel Grove (MP since 2015; 2019 majority 4,423)
The following MPs, formerly Conservative but now sitting as Independent, are also standing down:
- Crispin Blunt, Reigate (MP since 1997; 2019 majority 18,310)
- Matt Hancock, West Suffolk (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 23,194)
- Julian Knight, Solihull (MP since 2015; 2019 majority 21,273)
- Bob Stewart, Beckenham (MP since 2010; 2019 majority 14,258)
Former SNP MP Lisa Cameron, who now sits for the Conservatives, is standing down from her seat of East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow, which she first won in 2015 and where she had a majority of 13,322 at the 2019 general election.
Note: This list excludes MPs who have said they are not seeking re-election in their current constituency but may be seeking re-election in a different seat, and as such have yet to indicate if they are retiring from Parliament for good.
