Mapped: All the MPs standing down at the next election as Theresa May calls it a day

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Former prime minister Theresa May has introduced she won’t stand at the next common election in the most high-profile departure from parliament since Boris Johnson was ousted in a recall petition.

In an article for her native newspaper the Maidenhead Advertiser, Ms May stated it had been a “challenging decision” to step away from Westminster after greater than 27 years as an MP.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to serve everyone in the Maidenhead constituency as the Member of Parliament for the last 27 years,” she stated.

Ms May, 67, would have been defending a majority of 18,846 had she determined to run once more in her Berkshire constituency, the place she was first elected in 1997, bucking the nationwide pattern to win in Labour’s landslide.

She joins a rising variety of Conservative MPs deciding to give up politics, together with a number of high-profile ex-cabinet secretaries and different ministers.

Alok Sharma, the former Cop26 president, lately introduced he would stand down at the next common election, saying it had been the “honour” of his life to have served as an MP.

Mr Sharma, who represents Reading West and beforehand held the enterprise secretary transient, joins a rising variety of Conservative MPs deciding to give up politics.

Sajid Javid, the former well being secretary, Dominic Raab, the ex-justice secretary and Ben Wallace, the lately departed defence secretary – all of whom have been at one time touted as potential future Tory leaders – are amongst the different big-name Tories who’ve referred to as it a day as their occasion struggles in the polls.

Mr Sharma and Mr Raab, who resigned from his cupboard place following a slew of bullying allegations which he denied, would have been defending majorities of fewer than 5,000 votes at the next nationwide ballot.

Most MPs strolling away from Westminster are Conservatives, which is unsurprising given they’re the greatest occasion, successful 365 seats at the 2019 election.

According to the Institute for Government, the 2010 election noticed greater than 100 MPs stand down, primarily from the Labour Party, which had been in energy since 1997.

Some MPs additionally introduced they have been standing down after the bills scandal the similar 12 months.

Of all the 96 MPs standing down forward of the next nationwide ballot – anticipated in the spring or summer time of next 12 months – greater than 60 are Conservatives.

Harriet Harman, the former Labour chief, Margaret Beckett, the former overseas secretary, and Ben Bradshaw, the former tradition secretary are amongst the 17 Labour MPs standing down.

Eight SNP MPs, three independents – together with former well being secretary Matt Hancock – one Green, one Plaid Cymru and one Sin Feinn MP have additionally determined to name it a day.

Although the Conservatives have the most MPs quitting, the SNP may have the highest turnover following the next election. The eight standing down equates to almost a fifth of the occasion’s MPs.

The Conservative Party is heading in the right direction for a heavy defeat at the next election, in response to most surveys, with the Politico web site’s “poll of polls” giving Labour a 17 per cent lead.

The opposition has additionally narrowed the hole in Scotland the place the SNP has dominated politics since coming to energy north of the border in 2007.