Tory MP Craig Mackinlay today returned to the House of Commons for the first time since losing his hands and feet to a horror illness. The 57-year-old, who has dubbed himself 'the bionic MP', was pictured being driven to Parliament.
Rishi Sunak appears to be looking to avoid more election own goals as reports claim he will spend Saturday at home in meetings with aides after a shaky start to his campaign.
The Tory leader will instead spend it in talks with his closest advisers, though party chiefs insisted it was not part of an attempt to reset his struggling campaign, the Guardian reports. On the same day, two men dressed in high-vis clothing at a warehouse event, who appeared to be normal voters asking questions of Mr Sunak, later exposed as Tory councillors.
The Housing Secretary, who sat in Cabinet under four Prime Ministers and sought the top job in 2016, is the latest Tory big beast to stand down. Four other Tory MPs – former Cabinet ministers Greg Clark and Sir John Redwood, Sir David Evennett and the 'bionic' MP Craig Mackinlay – also said they would leave yesterday.It took the number of Tories quitting at this election above the 75 who decided to do so ahead of Tony Blair's landslide victory in 1997.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey claimed Sir John's decision not to stand in Wokingham, Berkshire – one of Sir Ed's target seats in the Blue Wall – was a sign that the Tories 'know we're going to win'.Other political heavyweights quitting include former Prime Minister Theresa May, ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
In the 'wash-up' process, where the Government and opposition decide whether to wave through legislation because of the election, plans to ban no-fault evictions for England's 11 million renters were shelved despite being in the 2019 Tory manifesto. Addressing Mr Sunak, Leadsom said in her statement announcing that she would step down: 'I would like to thank you for your faith in giving me the responsibility as Minister for Start for Life, Primary Care and Public Health'
However, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Sarah Olney said: 'Conservative politicians are fleeing the Blue Wall in their droves. Michael Gove is running scared of the Liberal Democrats.' Today Mr Mackinlay confirmed the July 4 election date made it 'impossible' for him to contest his seat as he continues his recovery.
Today Mr Mackinlay confirmed this date made it 'impossible' for him to contest the seat as he continues his recovery. Labour remains heavy odds-on favourites to win most seats and an overall majority , while the Tories are at 8/13 to lose more than 201 seats. Speaking to a small group of reporters allowed onto his flight from Belfast to Britain this afternoon, Mr Sunak praised Mr Mackinlay, saying: 'He is just an enormous inspiration.
He received just 89 votes to Major's 218 in the 1995 contest, and was also later defeated in a second bid for leadership in 1997. The pair - who had already said they are standing down at the election - had been sitting as independent MPs in the Commons after previously losing the Tory whip. Announcing his decision to leave the Commons, Sir John - who has been an MP since 1987 - wrote in a blog post: 'I have decided not to put my name forward in the forthcoming election.
'I have other things I wish to do. It has been a privilege to represent Wokingham in nine Parliaments. 'Wokingham is a key battleground where the Liberal Democrats are the clear challengers to the Conservatives. Yesterday, on the first day of the general election campaign, transport minister Huw Merriman and work and pensions minister Jo Churchill announced they are not seeking re-election.
Dame Eleanor Laing, the Deputy Commons Speaker who was elected as an MP but relinquished party affiliation to take up her role, and former minister Sir Michael Ellis, are also stepping down.Adopted as a child, he studied his way into Oxford, established himself first as a senior journalist, then as a minister – and aspired to be the occupant of No 10.
READ MORE He comes in every colour! Keir Starmer lampooned for his 'flip-flop' opinions as the Tories release adverts likening the Labour leader to a toy doll By the time the voracious reader arrived to study English at Oxford in the 1980s, he was a Tory 'young fogey' in tweeds.
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