Even though the next general election may not be until January 2025 at the latest, a number of MPs have already announced they will not be standing the next time the country goes to the polls.
Sky News understands Conservative MPs have been given a deadline of 5 December to inform the party whether they would like to contest their seats at the next election.
Labour’s selection process for the next national poll is already under way – and some of the party’s sitting MPs have already confirmed they do not intend to stand again.
Those who have announced their intention to leave parliament in the next few years range from the longest standing female MP, Harriet Harman, to one of those only elected at the last election in 2019, Conservative MP Dehenna Davison.
Here is a full list of all the MPs standing down at the next election:
1. Dehenna Davison (CON)
Ms Davison, who was elected as Bishop Auckland’s first ever Conservative MP in 2019 under former prime minister Boris Johnson, has announced she intends to stand down at the next election.
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The Levelling Up minister, regarded by many as a rising star in the Tory Party, said she now wanted to devote more time to “life outside politics – mainly to my family”.
“I’ve dedicated the vast majority of my time to politics, and to help make people’s lives better. But to be frank, it has meant I haven’t had anything like a normal life for a 20-something,” she said.
Ms Davison, 29, was thought to have represented a new style of Conservatism which demolished large swathes of Labour’s “Red Wall” of seats in the snap election three years ago.
2. William Wragg (CON)
Senior Tory Mr Wragg has also confirmed he will not run again.
He is the vice-chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers and has held the Hazel Grove constituency in Greater Manchester 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 in October following her disastrous mini-budget.
The MP for Hazel Grove took a short break earlier this year to recover from depression.
3. Chris Skidmore (CON)
Former universities minister Mr Skidmore has announced he will be standing down at the next election.
His Kingswood constituency will cease to exist when the new parliamentary boundary changes come into force.
Mr Skidmore said in a statement that “there has been no greater honour in my life” than to represent the constituency, in southwest England.
Mr Skidmore signed the UK’s net zero by 2050 commitment into law in 2019 when serving as a minister in former PM Theresa May’s government.
4. Sir Gary Streeter (CON)
The long-standing South West Devon MP will also not seek re-election.
Sir Gary has held his seat since its conception in 1997 and prior to that he was the MP for Plymouth Sutton for five years.
In a statement, the Conservative MP said: “It has been an honour and privilege to represent this consistency for over 30 years, but the time has come for me to step back and let a younger person take over.”
Sir Gary, who was knighted in 2018, said he had “great confidence that under Rishi Sunak’s leadership our country will recover strongly from recent challenges”.
5. 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.
She has also held ministerial jobs across several departments including the Treasury and Northern Ireland Office.
6. Douglas Ross (CON)
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said he will not stand again at Westminster in order to focus on Holyrood as an MSP.
He has served as Member of Parliament for Moray since 2017.
7. Sir Charles Walker (CON)
Broxbourne MP Sir Charles 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 to 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 March 2021.
8. Nigel Adams (CON)
Conservative MP Nigel Adams has confirmed he will step down at the next general election.
Mr Adams, a former minister, was first elected as Selby and Ainsty’s MP in 2010 and has successfully defended the seat three times.
In a statement, Mr Adams said: “By then [the next election] I will have served 14 years as an MP which I think is a decent innings in public life.”
9. Crispin Blunt (CON)
The Conservative MP for Reigate marked his 25th year in parliament by confirming he will stand aside when the country next goes to the polls.
Earlier this year, Mr Blunt apologised for “significant upset and concern” caused by his defence of fellow MP Imran Ahmad Khan following his conviction for sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 2008.
He is also the uncle of actress Emily Blunt.
10. Sir Mike Penning (CON)
The Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead has confirmed he wishes to retire at the next election, having reached the age of 64.
He described it as “one of the most difficult decisions of my life”.
11. Adam Afriyie (CON)
The Windsor Conservative Association (WCA) announced in the summer that Mr Afriyie had decided to step down.
The former trade envoy said with Brexit “concluded” it was the “right time” to relinquish his post.
12. Andrew Percy (CON)
The MP for Brigg and Goole is another to have confirmed he does not intend to continue in his role.
Mr Percy’s constituency would be abolished by the parliamentary boundary review proposals.
He was formerly the Northern Powerhouse minister.
13. Harriet Harman (LAB)
Labour’s Ms Harman, the longest continuous serving female MP in the Commons, has announced that she will not be standing for the party at the next election.
Ms Harman, who has represented the south London constituency of Camberwell and Peckham since 1982, revealed the news on Twitter.
14. Alex Cunningham (LAB)
The Stockton North MP has announced that he is to stand down after 12 years.
“After more than 30 years in public life as first a local councillor, I’ve decided the next general election would be the right time for me to retire and hopefully do many of the other things I’ve never been able to fit in.”
15. Dame Margaret Hodge (LAB)
Veteran Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge is another who will step aside.
Dame Margaret, who has been the MP for Barking in east London since 1994, described the decision as “really tough”.
During her time in politics, she has served as a minister in several departments, including education, work and pensions, and culture, and 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 the Labour Party.
16. Barry Sheerman (LAB)
One of the country’s longest-serving MPs, Mr Sheerman will also be leaving parliament.
The MP for Huddersfield since 1979 said standing down at the next election was the right time for him and the party.
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 continuous serving MP in the House of Commons after Father of the House Sir Peter Bottomley.
17. Alan Whitehead (LAB)
At the start of the year, Mr Whitehead confirmed he will not contest his constituency of Southampton Test again.
Mr Whitehead has held the constituency for Labour since 1997.
18. 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 described himself as being “emotional” about the decision, but told BBC Radio Devon: “If I stood again I could be pushing 70 by the end of the next parliament and I never really wanted to go on that long.”
19. Wayne David (LAB)
The Labour MP for Caerphilly has announced that “with some sadness” he will be stepping down.
In a statement, he said: “The reason is quite simple – I will be 65 in a few months’ time and if I were re-elected at the next election, I could still be an MP at the age of 70.
“While some may disagree, I think at that age I would not be able to represent my constituents as effectively as I would like. It is time to make way for a younger person.”
20. Paul Blomfield (LAB)
Mr Blomfield has been Sheffield Central’s MP since 2010 and announced he would be stepping away from parliament in February.
In 2016, he was appointed as Labour’s shadow Brexit minister, and he was a member of the shadow cabinet until December 2020 when the UK officially left the EU.
21. Dame Rosie Winterton (LAB)
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons said it had been an “honour” to have served as MP of Doncaster Central since 1997 when she announced she would not contest the next election.
Dame Rosie, who was known as a well-respected Labour Party disciplinarian, held positions within the government under the leadership of former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
22. 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 House of Commons to represent Lincoln in 1974 when just 27 MPs were women.
23. Jon Cruddas (LAB)
Long-term Dagenham and Rainham MP Mr Cruddas has also announced he is to step down.
The Labour MP has held the seat for 21 years, a position he has described as “the greatest honour of my life”.
24. Colleen Fletcher (LAB)
Announcing her intention to stand down, Ms Fletcher, who has held the Coventry North East seat for Labour since 2015, said it was time to move on and pursue new challenges.
25. Hywel Williams (PLAID CYMRU)
The MP for Arfon has announced he is standing down at the next general election “after much thought and discussion with my family”.
At the 2017 general election Mr Williams held Arfon with a majority of just 92 votes, making it the most marginal seat in Wales.
In the following election, in 2019, he extended Plaid’s majority to 2,781.
However, the constituency will disappear under proposals to cut the number of Welsh MPs from 40 to 32.
