By Ben Kerrigan-
Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced she will not stand in December’s general election.
The Loughborough MP highlighted MP abuse as a contributing factor, but said it had not been the tipping point. She said she “can’t commit to another five-year term” and said she intended to “be at home far more”.
Morgan said her role as an Mp had a “clear impact” on her family, adding that modern MPs were the subject of abuse. Abuse of Mps has been topical recently, mainly over their stance on Brexit but also several other issues. Morgan declared her support the prime minister in the election campaign ahead.
Making the announcement on Twitter, Ms Morgan said: “For the first time in 18 years I won’t be a candidate in the next general election.”
IMPACT
In the letter to her local party chairman Trevor Ranson, she said: “Being Loughborough’s MP has been the greatest privilege of my life.”
“But the clear impact on my family and the other sacrifices involved, and the abuse for, doing the job of a modern MP can only be justified if, ultimately, Parliament does what it is supposed to do.”
She added that the abuse MPs receive has “contributed” to the decision, although was not the “tipping point”.
“I think the role of being an MP has changed,” she added. “I think the abuse, because of the platforms, because of how strongly people feel about the current political situation, that has changed enormously in the almost 10 years since I started.”
Morgan took over at the Department Of Education in 2014 following the four-year tenure of Michael Gove, and continued to champion his reforms. She introduced the education and adoption act 2016, which strengthened the government’s powers to convert schools to academies.
The resulting legislation requires education secretaries to issue academy orders to failing schools, imposing a duty on governors to implement the conversion following the order.
She served as Secretary Of State For Education, and Minister For Women And Equalities between 2014 and 2016. Prior to that, she was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from October 2013 to April 2014 and as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from April to July 2014. In July 2017, Morgan was elected Chair of the Treasury Select Committee following the 2017 General Election.
Scored of other Mps are expected to follow suit for various reasons which they will make known as they announce their resignation. Amber Rudd similarly announced her resignation which led to a confrontation with Downing Street over the decision.
Others not standing again at the election on 12 December include Ken Clarke, Alistair Burt, Claire Perry , Jo Johnson(brother of Boris Johnson) and David Lidington.