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".

Mr Raab and his wife have two sons, aged 10 and eight.

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 laterover Theresa May's draft Brexit deal.

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.

The Liberal Democrats, who are targeting his seat at the next election, called on him to "do the decent and honest thing" and stand down immediately, triggering a by-election to replace him.

"People in Esher and Walton deserve better than to have a MP found guilty of bullying, who has now thrown in the towel," said the party's deputy leader Daisy Cooper.

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.

In all, 53 MPs from different parties have said they would stand down at the next election.

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."