Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has no plans to step down before the next election, his spokesman said after the Observer newspaper reported that Hunt would resign from Parliament before the vote.
With support for the Tories slumping after 13 years in power, Hunt was planning to step down before the election due by January 2025 rather then risk being voted out, the Observer reported, citing several political figures it didn’t identify. Hunt’s spokesman denied the report, saying Hunt did plan to run in his constituency, Godalming and Ash in Surrey.
The Labour Party has been leading the Conservatives by more than 20 percentage points in many national polls, with the Liberal Democrats, the third biggest party, also becoming more competitive in many areas held by the Conservatives.
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The election is widely expected next fall and Hunt’s seat in the so-called “Blue Wall” of southeastern English seats held by the Tories is now under threat from the Liberal Democrats. The opposition party is hoping to capitalize on anti-Tory sentiment on local issues such as housing planning to secure traditionally Tory seats in constituencies in the commuter belt just outside of London.
If Hunt did stand down as an MP before the election, it raises questions about whether he could remain chancellor, the paper said.
--With assistance from Andrew Davis.
