Ex-Tory rebel Rory Stewart to run for Mayor of London as an independent candidate after quitting as an MP
EX-TORY rebel Rory Stewart will quit as an MP after the next election to run to be the independent Mayor of London.
Just three months after running against Boris Johnson to be PM, the former international development secretary said this morning he has resigned from the Conservative party too.
He will run to be London Mayor against Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Tory Shaun Bailey, the Evening Standard revealed this morning.
Writing a letter to Londoners in the paper today he said: “Our leaders have become so bad at listening to the people. Instead they have retreated to a madhouse of insults in the Gothic, shouting chamber of Westminster, putting one group against another.
“This is why I’ve decided to stand out, not for a party, but as an independent.”
Mr Stewart wrote in his local paper today: “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.”
He was one of 21 Tories who lost the whip when he voted against Boris Johnson last month – and claimed he was thrown out by text.
After Boris lost the Supreme Court case on shutting down Parliament, Mr Stewart said he should resign as PM.
Mr Stewart said this morning: “It’s been a great privilege to serve Penrith and The Border for the last ten years, 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.”
He follows other Tory rebels including Justine Greening and Sir Nicholas Soames who have said they will quit as MPs when the next election vote comes.
Mr Stewart has served as an MP since 2010 and in Government as international development minister, Africa minister, prisons minister, and environment minister.
Earlier this year he stood against Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to be Tory leader and gathered momentum among the public – but was knocked out by MPs in the third round.
His Twitter videos of walks around the country meeting voters went viral online and attracted him thousands of followers.
And the internet went wild when he took his tie off in the middle of the first live TV debate during the leadership race.
However, he said he wouldn’t be able to serve in Boris’ government and returned to the backbenches when the now-PM was elected.
Mr Stewart has regularly spoken out against a No Deal Brexit – and said he would vote to stop it if he could.
He voted three times for Theresa May’s deal, and has recently argued for it to be brought back to Parliament for a third go.
Before going into Parliament he worked as a diplomat overseas, the deputy governor of two Iraqi provinces, and wrote a book about walking across the Middle East.
Politicians from across the political spectrum came out to pay tribute to him today.
Fellow rebel Amber Rudd said earlier: “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.”
Tory MP Jesse Norman said it was a “terrible pity” he was quitting and called him “wildly talented and a wonderful human being”.
And Labour’s Wes Streeting added: “It’s really not good for the country for the centre right of the Conservative Party to be collapsing in this way.”
Ex-Lib Dem boss Tim Farron weighed in too, saying: “This is a huge loss. Rory has been a strong voice for Cumbria and for decency, moderation and common sense.”
Tory Mayoral rival Shaun Bailey said today: “I welcome any candidate’s decision to stand and hold Mr Khan to account over his woeful record in London.
“We have all suffered for too long under a mayor with no plans, no ideas for London and entirely focused on moving back to Westminster to take over the leadership of the Labour Party.
“London faces real challenges and that’s why I will continue to focus on serious violent crime and how we’re going to get a grip on the violence on our streets.”
The Sun Says
FIRST he was going to be Tory PM.
Last week he was going to be the “British Macron”. This week he’s going to be an “independent” London Mayor.
In fairness, Rory Stewart could barely do worse than Labour’s Sadiq Khan.
But, indecision aside, his big weakness is that he simply thinks he’s entitled — like other Old Etonians — to run something big. He apparently couldn’t care less if that crushes the hopes of the black, working-class council-house boy standing for the Tories.
He’s not short on self-belief. But we’re not convinced that even in liberal London Rory is the vote magnet he imagines.
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