Rory Stewart quits Conservative party and will step down at election
Rory Stewart has quit the Conservative party and will not stand at the next general election, he revealed today.
The Tory MP, who stood in the race to become the party’s new leader over summer, said he was sad to be stepping down.
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“It’s been a great privilege to serve Penrith and The Border for the last ten years,” he tweeted.
“So it is with sadness that I am announcing that I will be standing down at the next election, and that I have also resigned from the Conservative Party.”
“As you will be aware, I am no longer allowed to run as Conservative MP in Penrith and The Border,” he told his local newspaper, The Cumberland and Westmorland Herald.
“Because I have loved the constituency so much, I had considered standing as an Independent; but I have decided that I wouldn’t want to run against those Conservative members who have been such wonderful colleagues over the last 10 years.”
The ex-leadership contender recently revealed he received a text informing him that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had withdrawn the whip from him after rebelling against the government.
He was one of 21 MPs the government punished for rebelling over the PM’s plan to force a possible no-deal Brexit.
Legislation they helped push through requires the Prime Minister to seek a Brexit delay until 31 January if he has not managed to agree a deal with the EU by 19 October.
The former international development secretary called the decision to oust him from the party “astonishing”, adding that it was something “you associate with other countries”.
Reacting to his decision to quit, former Cabinet colleague Amber Rudd tweeted: “What a loss to politics. An outstanding MP & Minister. One of the strongest speakers in Parliament. Principled, patient, thoughtful. I feel certain he’ll be back.”
Rudd quit Johnson’s cabinet in spectacular fashion recently, saying she could not serve under Johnson after he culled the Tory rebels.
‘Blow for moderate Conservatives’
Nick Boles, who quit the Conservatives earlier this year over its Brexit infighting, tweeted that Stewart’s departure represented another blow for Tory moderates.
“Last rites are being read for moderate One Nation conservatism. Rory Stewart joins Ruth Davidson, Sam Gyimah, Amber Rudd and many others.
“A sad day for British politics but a personal liberation for Rory who will go on to greater things, no doubt.”
Meanwhile former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said she was “very sorry to see” Stewart step down.
“Our party should have room for talented, experienced and committed people from across the Conservative spectrum,” she added.
Davidson quit as leader of the Scottish Conservatives in late August to focus on bringing up her new child, amid reports of disagreements with Johnson.
Plaudits roll in for Rory Stewart
Politicians from outside the Conservative party also offered plaudits to Rory Stewart.
Former Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron called his departure from politics “a huge loss”.
“Rory has been a strong voice for Cumbria and for decency, moderation and common sense,” he added.
Meanwhile Labour MP Harriet Harman tweeted: “I was sorry to see @RoryStewartUK step down as a prison minister determined on reform. And now sad to see that he’s leaving parlt. Best wishes for the future!”
Stewart has previously said he would quit politics if Johnson manages to deliver a Brexit deal by 31 October.
“If he does get a deal through, I would not stand again,” he said, in comments reported by the Guardian.
“I would be the first to apologise. I would get down on bended knees in front of Boris and admit I’d been wrong.”
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Stewart set out a centrist stall in the Tory leadership election but dropped out in the third round of voting as he failed to get enough support from fellow MPs.
Johnson won the eventual vote against rival Jeremy Hunt by a landslide.
Stewart served as the deputy governor of two Iraqi provinces before he became a politician in 2010.
While he voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, he went on to support former Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal.
Johnson’s decision to withdraw the whip from Stewart did not automatically mean he was no longer a member of the Conservative party.
#RoryWalks
#RoryWalks began trending on Twitter again after Stewart spent his leadership campaign visiting parts of Britain to talk with voters, despite only Conservative party members getting a vote on their next leader.
“I want to prove that a no-deal Brexit divides party and country and leads to electoral defeat,” he wrote in the New Statesman in June.
“I am hoping that these conversations – played out on social media – will begin to show my colleagues that there are at least some people who might change their vote to Conservative if we change our policy and approach.”
Writing in his local paper column, Stewart added that he was “hugely grateful” for the support of his local party. But he added that “it should be no secret that there are also local party members who would rather I did not run again”.
“I don’t want to test loyalties, destroy old friendships or push any of these issues any further,” he wrote.
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“There is enough toxic division in British politics without importing it into Cumbria.”
Stewart spoke at an event last night in which he criticised the Prime Minister, reading out an Eton housemaster’s letter that said Johnson was guilty of “a gross failure of responsibility”.
“Boris really has adopted a disgracefully cavalier attitude to his classical studies,” the letter , from 1982, added.
Stewart told the Letters Live audience that his surprise appearance “constitutes my resignation from the Conservative party”, according to the Guardian.