Boris Johnson has confirmed to his local Conservative Party that he will stand as an MP again in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency at the next general election.
The former Prime Minister has been a Member of Parliament for the North West constituency since 2015.
The decision follows Johnson’s ‘temporary hiatus’ from the front-lines of British politics after he stepped down as Prime Minister in July of this year.
His resignation came amid a number of scandals including ‘Partygate’ where senior Cabinet members broke Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and Johnson’s response to sexual assault allegations made against the former chief whip, Chris Pincher.
The allegations led to a mass resignation of government ministers, including the now Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak who was the then Chancellor.
Johnson left Downing Street for the last time in September and has since engaged in various activities alongside his role as a back-bencher.
Johnson has given numerous lucrative appearances and highly paid speeches alongside a now infamous Caribbean holiday.
However, the road to Johnson remaining in the House of Commons is contentious.
New modelling from the New Statesman found that a Labour candidate would win the seat with a comfortable majority currently, taking it by 52 points to 35.
London is a predominantly Labour city with Conservative MPs firmly in the minority of the capital’s representatives.
Johnson’s decision to contend his North West London seat has resulted in mixed reactions from MPs and commentators alike.
The Conservative commentator and once aide to Margaret Thatcher, Nile Gardiner, heralded the news as a new hope for the Conservatives amid their less than favourable polling against the Labour Party in recent months.
The news follows eleven other Conservative MPs who are also set to quit at the next election, expected in 2024.
Sajid Javid, the former Chancellor and Health Secretary and MP for Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, said that he had made the decision “after much reflection”.
Similarly, Dehenna Davison, a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, and MP for Bishop Auckland since 2019 has confirmed that she won’t re-stand.
A candidate for London Mayor in 2021, known under the pseudonym of Count Binface, has expressed his willingness to contest the Uxbridge seat.
Featured image credits: Number 10 via Flickr – Under CC BY-NC-ND BY 2.0 license
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