Kwasi Kwarteng: Mini-budget chancellor to quit as an MP
Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor during the infamous Liz Truss mini-budget, is to quit as an MP at the next election.
The former Conservative chancellor took to social media to announce he would not stand again, on Tuesday morning.
He was appointed as chancellor on 6 September 2022, delivering the mini-budget on 23 September, just days after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
He was relinquished of his job on 14 October 2022, as Liz Truss desperately tried to salvage her premiership, which eventually ended 11 days later, on 25 October.
Kwarteng was replaced as chancellor by the incumbent Jeremy Hunt, under Rishi Sunak.
The Tory politician made the announcement on X, saying: “Yesterday I informed my Association Chair of my decision not to stand at the next General Election. It has been an honour to serve the residents of Spelthorne since 2010, and I shall continue to do so for the remainder of my time in Parliament.”
This comes as a series of high-profile Conservative politicians have announced they will not be standing at the next election, while the party is well behind in the polls.
Among those leaving Westminster, or who have already quit, are Stephen Hammond, Nadine Dorries, Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab.
Last year, it was reported Kwasi Kwarteng offered to facilitate setting up a meeting between a fake foreign firm and former prime minister Boris Johnson during a sting interview.