The MPs who have announced they are standing down at the next general election
More than 100 MPs have said they will not be standing at the next general election.
Those who have announced their intention to leave parliament range from the longest-serving female MP, Labour’s Harriet Harman, to one of those only elected at the last election in 2019, Conservative MP Dehenna Davison.
This election is seeing the constituency boundaries changed, leading to some MPs deciding to step aside as their seat is gutted or entirely excised.
The vast majority of those leaving are Conservatives, with more than 70 Tory MPs stepping aside.
The average age of Labour MPs standing down is 67 – a full 11 years higher than the Conservatives at 56 and the SNP at 55.
Here is a full list of all the MPs standing down at the next election:
Nadhim Zahawi (CON)
The former COVID vaccines minister and chancellor announced he would not stand in a flamboyant letter quoting his “most famous constituent” – William Shakespeare.
“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he said.
Mr Zahawi became Stratford-on-Avon’s MP in 2010 and was made education secretary by Boris Johnson then was responsible for the COVID vaccine roll-out before becoming chancellor for just two months.
He was born in Baghdad, Iraq, but fled Saddam Hussein’s rule with his family aged 11 to live in London. He co-founded the successful polling company YouGov before moving into politics.
Robert Halfon (CON)
Robert Halfon announced in March that he would not be standing again as an MP, and at the same time resigned as an education minister.
He has been the MP for Harlow in Essex since 2010, and has served in government under David Cameron, Theresa May and Rishi Sunak.
James Heappey (CON)
Armed forces minister James Heappey announced he will leave his government post and stand down at the next election.
The MP for the Wells constituency in Somerset decided to leave parliament because of personal reasons, a source close to him told Sky News.
The announcement came amid growing disquiet among Conservative MPs and military insiders that the budget failed to announce new funding for the armed forces.
However, a source close to Mr Heappey said while “of course he thinks there should be more money – it’s not why he’s resigning”.
Brandon Lewis (CON)
Brandon Lewis, the former Northern Ireland secretary, also confirmed he will stand down at the next election.
Mr Lewis, also a former chairman of the Conservative Party, Brexit secretary and justice secretary, said he was proud of “the small part I have been able to play in public life”.
Theresa May (CON)
The former prime minister – who was in Downing Street from 2016 to 2019 and saw her time in office dominated by trying to sort out Brexit – is standing down after 27 years of representing Maidenhead.
In a statement to her local newspaper, Mrs May said she had taken the “difficult decision” to quit, saying causes including her Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking “have been taking an increasing amount of my time”.
The 67-year-old, who also spent six years as home secretary in David Cameron’s government, pledged her support to Rishi Sunak and said she believed the Conservatives could win the next election.
Kwasi Kwarteng (CON)
Kwasi Kwarteng, the former chancellor and Conservative MP for Spelthorne, has announced he will stand down at the next election.
An MP since 2010, he was appointed chancellor by Liz Truss during her brief tenure as prime minister, but was later sacked after his mini-budget caused turmoil in the markets and forced her to resign.
Prior to serving as chancellor, Mr Kwarteng served in roles including Brexit minister and was business minister before he was promoted to the cabinet as business secretary by Boris Johnson in January 2021.
Mike Freer (CON)
Conservative minister Mike Freer announced he was quitting parliament after more than a decade, telling Sky News: “There comes a point when you just have to say, enough.”
Mr Freer, who has served as the MP for Finchley and Golders Green since 2010, said an arson attack on his constituency office in north London on Christmas Eve was “the last straw”.
Chris Grayling (CON)
Former transport secretary Chris Grayling will not defend Epsom and Ewell at the next election – the seat he has held since 2001.
The MP said he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer and the diagnosis had led him to decide it was “time for change”.
Mr Grayling served in both David Cameron and Theresa May’s governments, most recently as transport secretary from 2016 to 2019 – where he earned the nickname “failing Grayling” after presiding over a series of mishaps.
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Alok Sharma (CON)
Conservative former cabinet minister Sir Alok Sharma is also standing down.
Sir Alok, who chaired the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, has been critical of Rishi Sunak after he watered down the government’s climate commitments.
Sir Alok’s seat of Reading West, which he has held since 2010, is being changed as part of the review of constituency boundaries. It will be renamed Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
Ben Wallace (CON)
Ben Wallace was appointed defence secretary by Boris Johnson when he became prime minister in 2019.
Mr Wallace stayed in the job when Mr Johnson was ousted from Downing Street and remained in post during the short tenure of Liz Truss – and continued in the role when Rishi Sunak became PM.
The announcement he was stepping down at the next election came after rumours he had tried and failed to become the next leader of NATO.
Dominic Raab (CON)
Former justice secretary and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has been an MP since 2010.
His decision came a month after he quit Rishi Sunak’s cabinet in the wake of a bullying probe concluding he acted in an “intimidating way” and was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in meetings.
Mr Raab is currently the Conservative MP for Esher and Walton in Surrey, where a slender majority of 2,743 has made his seat a key target for the Lib Dems.
Sajid Javid (CON)
A senior minister in a number of roles in recent years, Sajid Javid will not stand in his Bromsgrove constituency at the next election.
He was unsuccessful in his bid for Conservative Party leadership in 2022 and has previously served as chancellor, health secretary and business secretary.
Bromsgrove is considered a safe Conservative seat, with Mr Javid winning a majority of just over 23,000 in the 2019.
Matt Hancock (CON)
The former health secretary wrote to Rishi Sunak in December to let him know he would not be standing for the Conservatives at the next election.
He was suspended from the party after he announced he was going on reality TV show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, but said in his letter the chief whip “made clear” he would restore the whip “in due course, but that is now not necessary”.
Mr Hancock, who has a 23,194 majority in his West Suffolk constituency, resigned as health secretary in 2021 after breaking COVID rules.
Leaked CCTV showed him kissing an aide in his office, in contravention of social distancing rules in place at the time.
Mr Hancock had his suspension lifted when the election was called as a gesture of “goodwill”.
George Eustice (CON)
Former environment secretary George Eustice said it was a “difficult decision”, but after 15 years as the MP for Camborne and Redruth, he wants to take the opportunity to have another career outside politics.
The senior Tory was secretary of state under Boris Johnson, from February 2020 until September 2022.
Sir Graham Brady (CON)
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, announced in March 2023 that he would be bringing his chapter as a politician “to a close” while still “young enough to pursue other opportunities and interests”.
The 55-year-old has represented Altrincham and Sale West for the past 26 years and has been chairman of the committee since 2010, bar a brief period in 2019.
But it is only in the last few years that he has become something of a household name – with his visits to Number 10 seen as spelling the end for recent prime ministers.
Will Wragg (CON)
Senior Tory Mr Wragg has also confirmed he will not run again in the Hazel Grove constituency in Greater Manchester he has held since 2015.
He took the seat from the Liberal Democrats and, in doing so, became the first Conservative MP to represent the constituency since 1997.
Mr Wragg had been one of the Conservative MPs most critical of former PM Mr Johnson and also publicly demanded Liz Truss quit as leader following her disastrous mini-budget.
Chloe Smith (CON)
The former work and pensions secretary is another Conservative MP who has announced she will not continue her parliamentary career.
Ms Smith, who served in Liz Truss’s cabinet during her brief tenure in Number 10, has held the Norwich North seat since 2009.
When elected, she became the youngest MP aged just 27.
Douglas Ross (CON)
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said he will not stand again at Westminster in order to focus on Holyrood and being an MSP.
He has served as MP for Moray since 2017.
Sir Charles Walker (CON)
Broxbourne MP Sir Charles Walker has announced he will not seek re-election after more than 15 years in Westminster.
He has served as chair of the procedure committee and was knighted in 2019 for “political and public service”.
On his return to the backbenches, Sir Charles became a vocal opponent of COVID lockdown restrictions, including an infamous speech where he promised to walk around London with a pint of milk in protest against an extension to emergency powers being extended in 2021.
Robin Walker (CON)
The Worcester MP has held the seat since 2010 and served as an education minister and Northern Ireland minister in Boris Johnson’s government.
He said he was stepping down because he needed to prioritise his family.
Steve Brine (CON)
The current chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Mr Brine, said he would be seeking to start a “new chapter” in his life following 13 years representing Winchester in Hampshire – where he has a small majority of just 985.
Sir Bill Cash (CON)
The MP for Stone has announced he will not be standing again after a 40 year parliamentary career.
He has represented both Stone and earlier Stafford during his period in the Commons.
Sir Bill is perhaps most notable for his vocal and consistent criticisms of the European Union, and became one of the most prominent voices of the Brexit movement.
Chris Heaton-Harris (CON)
The Northern Ireland Secretary said in a letter to Rishi Sunak that he won’t be fighting to keep his seat at the general election, but that he would continue to campaign for the Conservatives.
He was first elected as the MP for Daventry, Northamptonshire, in 2010 and said it had been an “honour and a privilege to serve”.
Much of his time in Northern Ireland was spent negotiating with parties in efforts to restore the assembly amid a row over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Jo Churchill (CON)
Work and Pensions minister Jo Churchill announced she will not be standing a day after Rishi Sunak called the snap election.
The Bury St Edmunds MP, who has represented the seat since 2015, said she had reached the decision for “family reasons”.
Ian Blackford (SNP)
The former Westminster leader for the SNP has announced he will be stepping down at the next election following “a period of reflection” after losing his senior role.
He told Sky News in a broadcast exclusive that going forward, he would be working on a paper on Scotland’s industrial future and continuing as his party’s business ambassador.
Kevan Jones (LAB)
Former minister Mr Jones has announced he will not fight the general election campaign because he is undergoing surgery and treatment in early June for “an ongoing condition”.
He described his decision not to stand as “difficult”, adding: “I am sad to be leaving the House of Commons but would like to thank the people of North Durham and my supporters who gave me the opportunity to serve them.”
Harriet Harman (LAB)
Labour’s Ms Harman, the longest continuously-serving female MP, will not be standing at the next election.
Ms Harman has represented the south London constituency of Camberwell and Peckham since 1982.
During her parliamentary career she held frontbench positions in both opposition and government.
Dame Margaret Hodge (LAB)
Veteran Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge is another who will step aside, having been MP for Barking in east London since 1994.
She has served as a minister in several departments, including education, work and pensions and culture. She also chaired the influential Public Accounts Committee.
More recently, Dame Margaret was a prominent critic of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and accused him of denying the problem of antisemitism within Labour.
Barry Sheerman (LAB)
One of the country’s longest-serving MPs, Barry Sheerman will also be leaving parliament, having been the MP for Huddersfield since 1979.
Mr Sheerman, who has been a shadow work and pensions and home affairs minister, added he was proud of the work he had done over the past 42 years, but was looking forward to spending more time with his family.
He is the longest-serving Labour MP and the second-longest continuously-serving MP, after Father of the House Sir Peter Bottomley.
Ben Bradshaw (LAB)
The Labour MP for Exeter said that after 25 years in the role it is time to “hand on the baton”
He served as culture secretary under Gordon Brown, as well as in various junior ministerial positions under New Labour.
Dame Margaret Beckett (LAB)
Britain’s first female foreign secretary is to retire after nearly four decades as MP for Derby South.
Dame Margaret, who is also Britain’s longest-serving female MP, was first elected to the Commons to represent Lincoln in 1974, when just 27 MPs were women.
Natalie Elphicke (LAB)
Formally a Conservative MP, Natalie Elphicke defected in May 2024 to Labour – citing the government’s failures on issues including migration.
Seen as being on the right of the Conservatives, her crossing of the chamber to join Sir Keir Starmer came as a shock to many – with her previous backing of her sex-offender ex-husband also cited.
Ms Elphicke was elected in 2019 as the MP for Dover, succeeding her then-husband Charlie Elphicke – but said she would be leaving the Commons at the next election when she joined Labour.
Caroline Lucas (GRN)
An MP since 2010, Ms Lucas was the first Green Party MP. She was also leader of the party between 2016 and 2018.
For her entire stint in Westminster, she has represented the constituency of Brighton Pavilion.
Sian Berry, who co-led the Greens between 2018 and 2021, has been chosen to run for the seat on their behalf – where they defend a majority of close to 20,000.
The other MPs standing down are:
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, 3,003;
Christina Rees (LAB) – Neath, 5,673;
Holly Lynch (LAB) – Halifax, 2,569;
Hywel Williams (PLAID CYMRU) – 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) – Mole Valley, 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, 2,010;
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;
Mhairi Black (SNP) – Paisley and Renfrewshire South, 10,679;
Douglas Chapman (SNP) – Denfermline and West Fife, 10,669;
Angela Crawley (SNP) – Lanark & 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;
Nick Brown (IND, former LAB) – Newcastle upon Tyne East, 15,463;
Conor McGinn (IND, former LAB) – St Helens North, 12,209;
Julian Knight (IND, former CON) – Solihull, 21,273;
Crispin Blunt (IND, former CON) – Reigate, 18,310.