The former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has announced that he will be standing down as an MP at the next general election.
He quit Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet last month over bullying allegations from civil servants.
An independent investigation by Adam Tolley KC found he had acted in an intimidating and aggressive way with officials in behaviour that could have amounted to bullying.
Mr Raab will not contest his Esher and Walton seat in Surrey, which he has held since 2010, at the next election, due by January 2025.
In a letter to the chairman of his local Conservative Association, seen by The Telegraph, Mr Raab reportedly cited concerns about the pressure on his family as being behind his decision.
“I have become increasingly concerned over the last few years about the pressure the job has placed on my young family,” he wrote in the letter dated May 19, according to the newspaper.
“I will continue to carry out all my responsibilities to my constituents, and provide every support in campaigning, so that we win here next year – which I am confident we can do under this Prime Minister’s leadership.”
Dominic Raab's political career
Since becoming an MP in 2010, Mr Raab has served in many ministerial roles.
Back in 2018 the Prime Minister at the time, Theresa May, appointed him as Brexit secretary, a job he quit less than six months later.
Boris Johnson then picked him to be his foreign secretary and first secretary of state.
The latter role meant he was left in charge of running the country when Mr Johnson was hospitalised with Covid in April 2020.
Finally, his loyalty to Rishi Sunak saw him rewarded with the justice secretary and deputy prime minister roles.
Mr Raab joins a growing number of senior Conservatives deciding not to stand in the next general election, including former ministers Sajid Javid and George Eustice.
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