Housing minister Michael Gove will not stand as Surrey Heath’s Conservative candidate in July’s general election, stating it is time for “a new generation to lead”.
Gove (pictured) wrote his letter of resignation to the chair of the Surrey Heath Conservatives on Friday, as other well-known Tory MPs also announced their plans not to stand as MPs in the upcoming election.
The count of Conservative MPs not standing is now close to 80, according to The Telegraph. Among the names are Andrea Leadsom of South Northamptonshire, Matt Hancock of West Suffolk, John Redwood of Wokingham, Sajid Javid of Bromsgrove and Kwasi Kwarteng of Spelthorne.
Gove’s political career spans almost two decades, after becoming the MP for Surrey Heath in 2005 and holding prominent offices such as education secretary, minister for the cabinet office, Secretary of State for environment, food and rural affairs and, more recently, housing minister.
Gove has served in the role since October 2022, having previously held the position from September 2021 to July 2022.
In his resignation letter, he wrote: “No one in politics is a conscript. We are volunteers who willingly choose our fate. And the chance to serve is wonderful. But there comes a moment when you know it is time to leave. That a new generation should lead.”
Writing about his time as the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Gove said he was pleased to have introduced the most wide-ranging set of leasehold and social housing reforms in a generation. He added that he was “glad” to have legislated and acted to make buildings safer in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.
Samantha Partington is a freelance trade and consumer journalist writing about property and personal finance. Previously she worked worked for the Daily Mail and Property Week. She is the former deputy editor of Mortgage Solutions and editor of Specialist Lending Solutions.
Before becoming a journalist, Samantha worked as a mortgage broker and latterly for a mortgage, bridging and secured loan lender. Samantha is CeMAP qualified. Follow her on Twitter @SamJPartington1.
