Robert Halfon becomes latest minister to resign as James Heappey makes official exit from government
Education Minister Robert Halfon has resigned from government, confirming he will be the 63rd Conservative MP to stand down at the next election.
The MP for Harlow, who has been in parliament since 2010, said “political life, while fulfilling, has its ups and downs”, and he felt it was “time for me to step down”.
He will be replaced in the Department for Education by Luke Hall, the MP for Thornbury and Yate near Bristol.
Politics live: Two ministers join growing Tory exodus
Quoting the wizard Gandalf from Lord of the Rings in his resignation letter to the prime minister, and having been a Tory candidate for almost 25 years, Mr Halfon said: “My time is over: it is no longer my task to set things to rights, nor to help folk to do so.
“And as for you, my dear friends, you will need no help… among the great you are, and I have no longer any fear at all for any of you.”
Rishi Sunak responded by saying he was “very sorry to hear” of his decision, but added: “I respect your reasons for doing so.”
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The announcement from Mr Halfon – who has also served as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and chair of the education select committee – came on the same day Armed Forces minister James Heappey officially left his post in government.
He will be replaced by the former junior Foreign Office minister and MP for Aldershot in Hampshire, Leo Docherty, who previously served as Minister for Defence People and Veterans under Boris Johnson.
Earlier this month, a source close to the MP for the Wells constituency in Somerset said he had decided to leave parliament because of personal reasons, and his ministerial resignation was expected to coincide with Easter recess.
But the timing was significant as there had been growing disquiet among Conservative MPs and military insiders at a failure by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to announce new funding for the armed forces in his spring budget.
However, the source said said while “of course he thinks there should be more money”, it was not why Mr Heappey was resigning.
Confirming his departure on X, Mr Heappy said he “loved every minute” of his job, but added: “The work isn’t done.
“Ukraine needs our support now as much as ever. Perhaps even more so. Theirs is a fight for the future of Euro-Atlantic security and so we must continue to lead the world in the breadth [and] bravery of our support.”
In a letter to the now former minister, Mr Sunak thanked him for his “outstanding service and contribution to our party, parliament and country”.
As part of the mini-reshuffle, former education minister under Liz Truss, Jonathan Gullis, has been made a deputy chairman of the Tory party, along with MP for Guildford Angela Richardson.
Nus Ghani has been made minister for Europe, leaving her roles at the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office, being replaced by Havant MP Alan Mak.
And Kevin Hollinrake, who has overseen the Post Office during recent turbulence, has been promoted to minister of state for business.
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Meanwhile, Labour has promoted a number of its by-election winning MPs into frontbench positions.
Selby and Ainsty victor Keir Mather will join the shadow whips office, Gen Kitchen will go to the shadow Home Office, Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards will become part of the environment team and Kingswood’s Damien Egan will join the education team.
Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater will also move roles from the whips to join the shadow health team.
If approved, the EU’s UCITS funds would make way for crypto assets to gain exposure to a 12 trillion euro investment product market.
Former COVID vaccines minister and chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has announced he will not be standing at the next general election.
The Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010 quoted his “most famous constituent” as he wrote: “Go to your bosom; knock there and ask your heart what it doth know.”
He said: “The time is right for a new, energetic Conservative to fight for the honour of representing Stratford-on-Avon.”
“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he added, referencing Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet.
Mr Zahawi is the 65th Conservative MP to announce he will not be standing at the next general election, which is expected this year.
He was responsible for the COVID vaccine roll-out and was chancellor for two months over the summer of 2022. He was also education secretary for 10 months before that.
The MP stood to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative leader but was eliminated from the ballot after the first round of voting and then supported Liz Truss, who made him Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, intergovernmental relations minister and equalities minister.
Mr Zahawi said in his statement: “My mistakes have been mine, and my successes have come from working with, and leading, amazing people.”
He also thanked his family and friends, and especially his wife Lana, for their love.
Nadhim Zahawi was the COVID vaccines minister, responsible for its roll-out
The MP was made Conservative Party chairman by Rishi Sunak but was dismissed for failing to disclose he was being investigated by HMRC and the National Crime Agency over a multi-million pound tax dispute related to the sale of shares in his polling firm YouGov while he was chancellor.
He said he had made a “careless and not deliberate” error after initially saying he had no knowledge of the investigation and had “paid all taxes”.
The 56-year-old was born in Baghdad, Iraq, but his family fled the country under Saddam Hussein to live in London when he was 11-years-old.
He added: “Every morning as I shave my head in the mirror, I have to pinch myself.
“How is it that a boy from Baghdad who came to these shores, fleeing persecution and unable to speak a word of English, was able to do as much as I have?
“For all our challenges, this is the best country on Earth, and it helped me make my British dream come true. It was where I built a Great British business, YouGov, and it was where I raised my wonderful family.”
Mr Zahawi at a Cabinet meeting with Boris Johnson
The MP said he felt “immensely privileged” to have served “my country across government”, as he listed his roles, including being responsible for coordinating the Queen’s funeral.
Mr Zahawi found himself unable to enter the United States to visit his children at university in 2017 after then US President Donald Trump banned travellers from some Muslim majority countries, because he was born in Iraq.
He recently made a surprise appearance in an ITV drama about the Post Office IT scandal, playing himself questioning then Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells in a Commons committee inquiry.
The House of Representatives has voted to overturn controversial SEC guidance that has virtually blocked banks from custodying crypto assets.
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