LONDON (Reuters) -Former British finance minister and Conservative Party leadership candidate Sajid Javid will not stand for re-election at the next national election, he said on Friday.
Javid is the most high profile lawmaker in the governing party so far to say he will not stand for re-election, with a handful of other politicians saying they also plan to leave politics at the next election which is expected in 2024.
Javid ran unsuccessfully to be leader of the Conservative Party in 2019, when he was eliminated midway through the leadership contest, and in 2022 when he withdrew before the first round of voting.
“After much reflection I have decided that I will not be standing again at the next General Election,” he said on Twitter.
“Serving as the Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove remains an incredible privilege, and I will continue to support the Government and the causes I believe in.”
Javid served as health minister under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, before unexpectedly resigning in a move that triggered a wave of others to quit and which then caused Johnson himself to stand down.
Javid had also previously served as interior minister. He was not given a ministerial role when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak named his government after taking power in October.
Reacting to Javid’s decision to stand down, Sunak said he was “sad to see my good friend stepping back from politics.”
“He’s been a proud champion of enterprise and opportunity during his time in Government and on the backbenches,” Sunak said on Twitter.
(Reporting by William James and Alistair Smout)
