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Tory rising star Dehenna Davison announces she will stand down at next election

Dehenna Davison - Tim Clarke
Dehenna Davison - Tim Clarke

Tory rising star Dehenna Davison has become the latest MP to announce she will stand down at the next election.

The Levelling-up Minister, who is only 29, made history in 2019 by becoming Bishop Auckland’s first Conservative MP.

She is the latest in a steady stream of Tories to detail their exit plans amid a polling slump.

Her announcement on Friday afternoon came shortly after Sir Gary Streeter said he would not run again in the South West Devon constituency he has comfortably held since it was created in 1997.

Ms Davison is a prominent figure in the so-called Red Wall of former Labour strongholds Boris Johnson managed to capture for the Tories in the last general election.

In a statement, Ms Davison said: “For my whole adult life, 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 twenty-something.

“I will always be humbled to have had the opportunity to serve as a Member of Parliament. But now the time feels right for me to devote more of my attention to life outside politics - mainly to my family and helping support them as they’ve helped support me.

“That's why I won’t be standing in the next general election.”

Seventh Tory MP to stand down

Brought into government by Liz Truss, Ms Davison was kept on in the role under Rishi Sunak when he took over as Prime Minister and her prospects in the party had seemed high.

But becoming the seventh Tory MP to indicate they will not be standing again will further concern the party as it lags far behind Labour in opinion polling.

Senior Conservatives including Chloe Smith, the former Work and Pensions Secretary, and William Wragg, the select committee chairman, have announced they will not be running for re-election in recent days.

In the letter to his local association, the former shadow aid secretary said he will “not be seeking re-election at the next general election, whenever it comes”.

“It has been an honour and privilege to represent this constituency for over 30 years, but the time has come for me to step back and let a younger person take over,” the 67-year-old said.

“I very much hope that a local candidate will be chosen to give us the best chance of holding this seat.

“I have great confidence that under Rishi Sunak’s leadership our country will recover strongly from recent challenges.”