The Conservatives are bracing themselves for a slew of departures by its MPs at the next election, with many expected to be announced by the end of the year, as former work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith said she would not to stand again.
The Guardian understands that MPs have been asked to indicate preferences for the next election by 5 December, which also marks the closing of the final consultation on the boundary review. The senior backbench MP William Wragg yesterday announced via Twitter that he would not stand again in Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester.
The party is hoping to begin preparations for parliamentary selections, as well as finding solutions for MPS whose constituencies are affected by the review. Smith, 40, won her Norwich North seat in a 2009 byelection. She had a tiny majority of just 507 votes in 2017, but increased her majority to 4,738 in 2019. On current polling, Smith would be likely to lose her seat to Labour.
This story is from the November 23, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 23, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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