Full list of conservative MPs stepping down ahead of the General Election

High profile Tory members will not run for this election (Pictures: Getty/Rex)

A record number of Conservative MPs have announced they will step down ahead of the General Election.

The number has now surpassed the historic figures of resignations seen in 1997, when Tony Blair took power after 18 years of Conservative rule.

But many of the MPs resigning have played key roles in British politics in the last decade or so.

A few of these resignations began months ago, with one Tory MP comparing himself to Gandalf before stepping down in March.

Now more than 76 Tory members have stepped down, and Metro.co.uk has compiled a list of the high profile and back bench politicians who won’t stand at the upcoming elections.

Michael Gove

Gove has said he won’t stand for re-election in Surrey Heath (Picture: PA Wire)

Mr Gove, who was first elected to Surrey Heath in 2005, will not be standing as an MP.

His constituency is vulnerable to Liberal Democrats.

Currently serving as housing secretary, he previously served as environment secretary, justice secretary, chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster and education secretary.

Mr Gove previously ran for leader of the Conservative party, and was a senior figure in the Vote Leave campaign.

Theresa May

Former PM May said she will not stand for re-election either (Picture: Getty)

Widely seen as one of the most familiar faces during Brexit, former Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will not stand during this election.

She has represented her constituency of Maidenhead for 27 years, telling a local newspaper that quitting was a ‘difficult decision’.

But she’s sure to have a relaxing time away from parliament, having made the list of MPs who made millions outside of parliament.

The former Conservative leader accounts for a sizable chunk of the £17.1million MPs have banked on top of their £84,144 salaries since the last general election.

Kwasi Kwarteng

Kwasi Kwarteng will also stand down (Picture: Getty)

MP for Spelthorne Kwasi Kwarteng will not be standing at the General Election, he announced.

He was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer by Liz Truss but his mini budget ultimately forced the PM to resign.

Mr Kwarteng later admitted he ‘blew it’ with his daring but disastrous mini-budget that crashed the economy.

The former chancellor told the Financial Times in a story that he and his political soulmate, Liz Truss, got ‘carried away’.

Ben Wallace

Defense Minister Ben Wallace is stepping down (Picture: AP)

Defence Minister Ben Wallace announced last year that he would not stand at the next General Election, but he has confirmed his statement.

He was the longest-serving conservative Defence Minister before standing down last year. But now he’s also announced he will stand down as an MP, not running in this election.

In his statement last year he said: ‘I went into politics in the Scottish parliament in 1999. That’s 24 years. I’ve spent well over seven years with three phones by my bed. What are they for? Secret, secret and secret.’

Matt Hancock

Matt Hancock said he will not stand for re-election in his constituency (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

Though technically an Independent, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Rishi Sunak in December that he would not be standing for Conservatives in the next election.

But he was suspended from the party after going on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’.

Mr Hancock resigned as health secretary in 2021 after breaking Covid rules when photos of him kissing his then-married aide were released.

Mr Hancock had served as Health Secretary since 2018 until his resignation.

Dominic Raab

Former Deputy PM Dominic Raab is also not standing (Picture: Getty)

Former Deputy PM and justice secretary Dominic Raab will also not stand at the upcoming election, having served since 2010.

He previously ran for leader of the Conservative Party.

Mr Raab resigned in 2023 after an inquiry led by an independent barrister found him guilty of mistreating civil servants on two accounts.

The full report dropped just before midday, with lawyer Adam Tolley writing that Mr Raab’s conduct ‘involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates’.

He later apologised for the incident.

Sajid Javid

Former Health Minister Sajid Javid will not stand this election (Picture: Getty)

Former Health Minister Sajid Javid has said he won’t stand in his Bromsgrove constituency in the General Election.

He bid for leader of the Conservative Party in 2022, after serving as chancellor, health secretary and business secretary.

A senior minister in a number of roles in recent years, Sajid Javid will not stand in his Bromsgrove constituency at the next election.

Nadhim Zahawi

Nadhim Zahawi will also not stand this election (Picture: Getty)

The Covid vaccine minister quoted Shakespeare when stepping down from his MP for Stratford-Upon-Avon.

He said: ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow,’ having served as MP since 2010.

The former COVID vaccines minister and chancellor announced he would not stand in a flamboyant letter quoting his “most famous constituent” – William Shakespeare.

He added: ‘With the exception of convincing my wife to marry me, it has been the greatest honour of my life to represent the people of Stratford-on-Avon and service as a Minister of the Crown.

‘But after 14 years in Parliament and multiple roles in Cabinet and government, I have come to the decision not to stand again in the next general election.

‘Every morning, I shave my head in the mirror, I have to pinch myself. How is it that a boy from Baghdad who came to these shores, fleeing persecution and unable to speak a word of English, was able to do as much as I have?’

In other news, Labour leader Keir Starmer isn’t the biggest fan of Rishi Sunak’s national service plan.

In his first major campaign speech, Starmer shrugged off the ‘desperate’ proposal of nothing more than a ‘teenage dad’s army’.

‘I have changed this party. Permanently,’ he added.

Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, is doubling down on his first major Conservative policy of the election campaign with mandatory National Service for people aged 18.

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