A RECORD-BREAKING 78 Conservative MPs have confirmed they are resigning ahead of the election.
The mass exodus dwarfs the 75 who left power before Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997.
A record 78 Conservative MPs have announced they will resign before the general election[/caption]
Former Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace to resign[/caption]
Theresa May is also stepping down as MP[/caption]
Heavyweights exiting the stage include former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, former Prime Minister Theresa May and former Education Minister Robert Halfon.
Railways Minister Huw Merriman is also leaving the House of Commons, along with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
Long-time “bionic MP” Craig Mackinlay, who lost all his limbs to sepsis, has also announced he will not stand again.
Departing MPs paid emotional tributes in the House of Commons as they spoke from the Green benches for the last time.
Former army captain Mr Wallace appealed to future ministers to continue to value defence.
He said: “Defense is important. It is not a complement after health and education.
“When we get to our manifestos, please invest in defense, make sure it is essential.”
Fuel service champion Mr Halfon said: “It’s hard to believe I’ve wanted to be an MP since I was 10 years old and now that dream and honor is coming to an end.”
On social media, Mackinlay posted: “Though my heart tells me to rise again, there are so many things unfinishedbusinessbetween local regeneration and the national issues that are important to me, my head knows that this is impossible at the moment.”
Meanwhile, 30 Labor Party and seven SNP MPs also resign.
Parties have until June 7 to assemble their final list of candidates.
The exodus came when Rishi Sunak was ridiculed for holding a press conference at the Titanic museum in Belfast.
The PM was forced to confirm that “he is not the captain of a sinking ship”.
Deputies resigning before elections
Michael Gove (CON) – Surrey Heath, majority 18,349
Dame Andrea Leadsom (CON) – South Northamptonshire, majority 27,761
Jon Cruddas (LAB) – Dagenham and Rainham, majority 293;
Colleen Fletcher (LAB) – Coventry North East, 7,692;
Sir George Howarth (LAB) – Knowsley, 39,942;
Wayne David (LAB) – Caerphilly, 6,833;
Alan Whitehead (LAB) – Southampton Test, 6,213;
Paul Blomfield (LAB) – Sheffield Central, 27,273;
Alex Cunningham (LAB) – Stockton North, 1,027;
Dame Rosie Winterton (LAB) – Doncaster Central, 2,278;
Karen Buck (LAB) – Westminster North, 10,759;
Margaret Greenwood (LAB) – Wirral West, 3003;
Christina Rees (LAB) – Neath, 5,673;
Holly Lynch (LAB) – Halifax, 2,569;
Yvonne Fovargue (LAB) – Makerfield, 4,740;
Hywel Williams (CYMRU CHESS) – Arfon, 2,781;
Dehenna Davison (CON) – Bishop Auckland, 7,962;
Tracey Crouch (CON) – Chatham and Aylesford, 18,540;
Pauline Latham (CON) – Mid Derbyshire, 15,385;
Gordon Henderson (CON) – Sittingbourne and Sheppey, 24,479;
Craig Whittaker (CON) – Calder Valley, 5,774;
John Howell (CON) – Henley, 14,053;
Matthew Offord (CON)–Hendon, 4,230;
Sir Mike Penning (CON) – Hemel Hempstead, 14,563;
Adam Afriyie (CON) – Windsor, 20,079;
Andrew Percy (CON) – Brigg and Goole, 21,941;
Mark Pawsey (CON) – Rugby, 13,447;
Edward Timpson (CON) – Eddisbury, 18,443;
Jo Gideon (CON) – Stoke-on-Trent Central, 670;
Sir Paul Beresford (CON) – Vale Mole, 12,041;
Stephen McPartland (CON) – Stevenage, 8,562;
Nicola Richards (CON) – West Bromwich East, 1,593;
Henry Smith (CON) – Crawley, 8,360;
Sir Robert Goodwill (CON) – Scarborough & Whitby, 10,270;
Sir Gary Streeter (CON) – South West Devon, 21,430;
Oliver Heald (CON) – North East Hertfordshire, 18,189;
Sir James Duddridge (CON) – Rochford and Southend East, 12,286;
Bob Stewart (CON) – Beckenham, 14,258;
Nick Gibb (CON) – Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, 22,503;
John Baron (CON) – Basildon and Billericay, 20,412;
Jamie Wallis (CON) – Bridgend, 1,157;
Lisa Cameron (CON) – East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, 13,322,
Bob Neill (CON) – Bromley and Chiselhurst, 10,891;
Nickie Aiken (CON) – Cities of London and Westminster, 3,953;
Lucy Allan (CON) – Telford, 10,941;
Stuart Andrew (CON) – Pudsey, 3,517;
Richard Bacon (CON) – South Suffolk, 21,275;
Chris Clarkson (CON) – Heywood and Middleton, 663;
Andy Carter (CON) – Warrington South, 2010;
Jonathan Djanogly (CON) – Huntingdon, 19,383;
Phillip Dunne (CON) – Ludlow, 23,658;
Stephen Hammond (CON) – Wimbledon, 628;
Trudy Harrison (CON) – Copeland, 5,842;
Alister Jack (CON) – Dumfries and Galloway, 1,805;
David Jones (CON) – Clwyd West, 6,747;
Greg Knight (CON) – East Yorkshire, 22,787;
Kieran Mullan (CON) – Crewe and Nantwich, 8,508;
Will Quince (CON) – Colchester, 9,423;
Paul Scully (CON) – Sutton and Cheam, 8,351;
Royston Smith (CON) – Southampton Itchen, 4,498;
James Grundy (CON) – Leigh, 4,965;
Michael Ellis (CON) – Northampton North, 5,507;
Sir David Evennet (CON) – Bexleyheath and Crayford, 13,103;
Mhairi Black (SNP) – Paisley and Renfrewshire South, 10,679;
Douglas Chapman (SNP) – Denfermline and West Fife, 10,669;
Angela Crawley (SNP) – Lanark and Hamilton East, 5,187;
Patrick Grady (SNP) – Glasgow North, 5,601;
Peter Grant (SNP) – Glenrothes & Central Fife, 11,757;
Stewart Hosie (SNP) – Dundee East, 13,375;
John McNally (SNP) – Falkirk, 14,948;
Phillipa Whitford (SNP) – Central Ayrshire, 5,304;
Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Fein) – Fermanagh and South Tyrone, 57;
Francis Molloy (Sinn Fein) – Middle Ulster, 9,537;
Mickey Brady (Sinn Fein) – Newry and Armagh, 9,287;
Nick Brown (IND, formerly LAB) – Newcastle upon Tyne East, 15,463;
Conor McGinn (IND, former LAB) – St Helens North, 12209;
Julian Knight (IND, ex-CON) – Solihull, 21,273;
Crispin Blunt (IND, ex-CON) – Reigate, 18,310.
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