London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2026

Dominic Raab to stand down as MP at next election

Dominic Raab to stand down as MP at next election

Former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab will stand down as an MP at the next election.
His decision, first reported in The Telegraph, comes a month after he resigned as a minister when a bullying inquiry found he had acted in an "intimidating" way towards officials.

The paper quotes Mr Raab as saying he is concerned about "the pressure the job has placed on my young family".

Since becoming an MP in 2010, Mr Raab has served in many ministerial roles.

In 2018 then-Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him as Brexit secretary, a job he quit less than six months later.

Boris Johnson picked him to be his foreign secretary and first secretary of state - the latter role meant he was left in charge of running the country when Mr Johnson was hospitalised with Covid in April 2020.

Mr Raab has also been a close ally of Rishi Sunak, supporting him in last summer's Conservative leadership race.

Mr Sunak rewarded his loyalty when he became prime minister, making Mr Raab both his justice secretary and deputy prime minister.

Mr Raab confirmed to BBC News that he would not seek re-election as the MP for Esher and Walton, which he has represented since 2010 and won with a majority of 2,743 votes in 2019.

In a letter from Mr Raab to his constituency, seen by the Telegraph, the MP said it had been a "huge honour to represent the Conservatives since 2010 in this wonderful constituency".

His departure from Parliament means the Conservatives will have to find a new candidate for the Surrey constituency - which is a key election target for the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Raab joins a growing number of senior Conservatives deciding not to stand in the next general election, expected in 2024.

Former ministers including Sajid Javid and George Eustice have also announced their intention to leave the House of Commons.

Mr Raab was at the centre of months of speculation when bullying allegations from civil servants led to an inquiry into the MP's conduct.

The report - conducted by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC - concluded Mr Raab had engaged in an "abuse or misuse of power" as foreign secretary.

The findings prompted Mr Raab to step down, but in his resignation letter he noted that the inquiry "dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me".

He also said the inquiry was "flawed and sets a dangerous precedent" and would "encourage spurious complaints against ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving change on behalf of your government - and ultimately the British people".

Responding to his decision to quit as an MP, fellow Conservative Angela Richardson tweeted: "His constituents will miss his dedication. I am happy for his young family though. This job is tough enough on family life as a simple backbencher, let alone being in Cabinet."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Premier League Season Opens With Managerial Debuts and Dramatic Early Fixtures
England Cricket Drops Brydon Carse From Selection Pending Club Investigation
Graeme Dott Convicted of Child Sexual Abuse Offences in Scotland
Protesters Occupy British Aircraft Parts Factory Over Alleged Military Links to Israel
More Than 100 Former British and French Diplomats Call for Sanctions on Israel
Ipsos Poll Shows British Public Split Between Immigration Controls and Economic Growth
British Cybersecurity Agencies Raise Alert Over Growing Threats to Critical Infrastructure
Two-Thirds of England Now Under Official Drought Conditions After Prolonged Summer Heat
Institute of Directors Calls for Urgent Action to Revive Britain’s Stagnant Labour Market
Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv on First Foreign Trip and Pledges Continued British Support for Ukraine
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches in UK Pharmacies
UK Payroll Employment Falls by 94,000 as Labour Market Cools
Onshore Wind Planning Applications in England Reach Ten-Year High After Rules Eased
UK Government Demands Social Media Platforms Remove Dangerous Driving Content After A66 Crash
Thames Water Creditors Face Backlash Over Proposed Corporate Restructuring
Twelve Arrested After Fatal A66 Crash Linked to Organised Crime Investigation
UK Household Energy Debt Could Reach £7 Billion by Year-End
UK Defence Ministry to Use Ukraine Battlefield Data to Train AI Security Systems
UK Government Redirects £4 Billion of Affordable Homes Funding Away From Social Housing
UK Government Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Exceeding Forecasts
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Advanced Missile Support for Ukraine
8Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Risks Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Government Audit Reveals Pressure on UK Hospitality From Business Rates and Rising Costs
Kindertransport Survivor Prepares to Revisit European Sites Linked to Her Family’s Wartime Separation
Northern England Transport Operators Strengthen Contingency Plans as Travel Demand Rises
New Implant Trials Offer Treatment Prospects for Patients With Refractory Angina
South Wales Reviews Wildfire Response After Exceptionally Dry Summer
UK Treasury Prepares Autumn Fiscal Statement Amid Spending and Defense Pressures
Norfolk Records First Wild Beaver Births in More Than Five Hundred Years
Historic Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli Reported Missing From Parliament’s Art Collection
Five People, Including Police Officers, Killed in A66 Crash as Families Pay Tribute
Most English Secondary Schools Found to Fall Short of National Healthy Food Standards
UK Think Tank Says Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Shows
Reform Party Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born UK Citizens
UK Government Plans Business Rate Overhaul to Ease Pressure on Pubs and Hotels
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches Across NHS Pharmacies in England
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Fall to Lowest Level in a Decade
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv to Reaffirm Long-Term Military Support for Ukraine
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
First Bus Bars Unaccompanied Under-Sixteens From Evening Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Cost UK Waste Sector About One Billion Pounds a Year
Reform UK Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born Naturalised Citizens
UK Government Deploys AI Drones in Crackdown on Illegal Waste Dumping
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Disruption for British Travellers and Freight Operators
UK Expands Voluntary Drug Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders to Twenty Prisons
CrossCountry Cancels Most Services After Major Power Failure at Control Centre
×