Below is a rolling list of Labour MPs who have announced that they will not be seeking reselection as a Labour candidate ahead of the next general election.
- Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North. Tweeted on November 25th, 2021. Cunningham, currently the shadow minister for courts and sentencing, was first elected in 2010. He served on the Labour frontbench under Jeremy Corbyn in various roles. His majority was cut from 8,715 to 1,027 in 2019.
- Margaret Hodge, MP for Barking. Tweeted on December 3rd, 2021. “After nearly three decades, I have made the tough decision not to stand again at the next election,” she said. Hodge was chair of the public accounts committee for five years, 2010 to 2015, and served in various government ministerial roles during the New Labour years. She has been an MP since 1994.
- Barry Sheerman, MP for Huddersfield. Tweeted on December 4th, 2021. “After 40 years as Huddersfield’s Member of Parliament, I have taken the decision that I will not be standing at the next general election,” he said. Sheerman is currently the third longest-serving MP and Labour’s longest continuously serving MP. He was a shadow minister under Neil Kinnock and John Smith but has been a backbencher since 1994.
- Harriet Harman, MP for Camberwell and Peckham. Tweeted on December 7th, 2021. “I will leave the House of Commons with my feminism, my belief in Labour and my enthusiasm for politics unchanged,” she wrote in her letter to local members. She has been an MP since 1982 and held many different ministerial and shadow ministerial posts. Harman was Labour’s deputy leader from 2007 to 2015 and temporarily leader of the party in 2015.
- Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test. Told members on January 14th, 2022 that by the time of the next election he “could not give a further five-year commitment to the role of MP at that point, much though I might want to continue in principle”. He has been the MP since 1997 and currently serves as shadow energy minister, a role he has undertaken since 2016.
- Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter. He announced the decision on February 3rd, 2022. “There is never a perfect time to step down in politics and the exact timing is determined by the electoral cycle. But I will be 62 this year. If I fought the next election and won, I could be pushing 70 by the end of the next parliament,” he said. He has been the MP since 1997 and served in various ministerial roles under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
- Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly. He told his local party on February 11th, 2022. “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,” he said on his website. David, who is making the decision “with some sadness”, most recently served as shadow minister for the Middle East and North Africa from April 2020 to December 2021. He has been an MP since 2001.
- Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central. He told his local party on February 21st, 2022. “It’s been a difficult decision, but I’ll be 70 next year and for me the next election feels the right time to step down,” he said in a statement. Blomfield, first elected in 2010, was a shadow Brexit minister until 2021.
- Rosie Winterton, MP for Doncaster Central. She announced the decision on February 27th, 2022. “Having been brought up in Doncaster and lived here for many years, I have treasured the support I have been given by local people,” she said, praising her local party for “their support and kindness”. The House of Commons Deputy Speaker has been an MP since 1997 and held government posts under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
- Margaret Beckett, MP for Derby South. She told her local party on March 26th, 2022. “Serving the residents of Derby South has been an honour. I will continue to serve local people until the next general election,” she said. Beckett was the first female Foreign Secretary and holds the record for the female MP with the longest service overall. She was the first woman to lead the Labour Party when she temporarily stepped up before Tony Blair was elected.
- Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, told local newspapers that he will be standing down at the next election. The Labour MP, who has held the seat for 21 years, said: “There is never a good time to go but, with the Tories in crisis both locally and nationally, I feel it is time to let someone new take on the challenge.” He highlighted that his seat has been seen as a marginal constituency in the past four elections but said the local party and trade union movement were in a “strong place to take the seat forward as the area grows”. Cruddas ran to be deputy leader of the party in 2007, losing out to Harriet Harman, and served in the shadow cabinet under Ed Miliband.
- Colleen Fletcher, MP for Coventry North East. She announced on September 5th, 2022 that she is standing down, telling local journalists: “I feel now is the time for me to make the decision to move on and pursue some new challenges.” Fletcher, who has held the seat since 2015, currently serves as a party whip.
- Margaret Greenwood, MP for Wirral West. She told local press on May 23rd, 2023 that she will not be standing at the next election, saying it has been a “great honour and a privilege to serve the people of Wirral West”. Greenwood, who has held the seat since 2015, served as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn between 2018 and 2020.
- George Howarth, MP for Knowsley. He announced in June 2023 that he will be standing down at the next election after serving as an MP for more than 30 years. In a note to his Constituency Labour Party, Howarth said: “After over 30 years as a Knowsley MP, it is the right time for a new candidate for our party in Knowsley.” First elected in 1986, he served as parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Home Office under Tony Blair, subsequently holding the same role in the Northern Ireland office.
- Ian Mearns, MP for Gateshead. He announced in February 2024 that he would not seek re-election after 14 years as an MP. He was elected to parliament in 2010, but was first elected as a councillor in 1983.
- Karen Buck, MP for Westminster North. She told local members that she would not be standing at the next election in January 2024. She has been the area’s MP since 1997.
- Christina Rees, MP for Neath. After being readmitted as a Labour MP after accusations of bullying her staff, Rees apologised in February of this year and said she would not stand for re-election. She had been the MP for Neath since 2015.
- Ian Mearns, MP for Gateshead. Mearns said in February that it was “time to pass on the mantle to someone else” after serving as the MP for the area since 2010.
- Dan Poulter, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. Originally elected as a Conservative in 2010, Poulter crossed the floor late last month and said he would not stand and the next general election.
- Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover. Elected as a Conservative in 2019, Elphicke crossed the floor in early May and said she would not stand for re-election.
- Holly Lynch, MP for Halifax. Following the Prime Minister’s decision to call the general election, Lynch announced she would not stand at the election. She was first elected in 2015.
- Yvonne Fovargue, MP for Makerfield. After Rishi Sunak called the general election, Fovargue, who was first elected in 2010, announced she would not stand for re-election.
This list will be updated as more MPs reveal their intentions. If we’ve missed one, please tell us via email…
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