MPs standing down at the 2024 general election | Institute for Government (2024)

How many MPs are standing down at the election?

As of 09:00 on 4 June 2024, 132 MPs have announced that they will not stand again at the election on 4 July. MPs intending to stand again have until 4pm on 7 June to deliver their nomination papers and so it is likely that further announcements will follow in the coming days.

A number of prominent MPs plan to stand down, including 22 current and former secretaries of state. Former prime minister Theresa May, former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab and current levelling-up secretary Michael Gove all plan to stand down, as do former Labour ministers Harriet Harman and Dame Margaret Hodge. They are joined by the former Westminster leader of the SNP, Ian Blackford, two current deputy speakers, Dame Rosie Winterton and Dame Eleanor Laing, and the chairs of 10 select committees.

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Which parties do they belong to?

Most of the MPs who are standing down are Conservatives – 76 of the 132 MPs who have made a public announcement to date. In addition, four of the nine independent MPs who are retiring were first elected as Conservatives. This is unsurprising, as there are more Conservative MPs than MPs for any other party.

Other parties are also facing significant turnover. The nine SNP MPs planning to stand down equate to more than a fifth (21%) of the parliamentary party, only marginally behind the Conservatives’ 22%. The Green Party’s sole MP, Caroline Lucas, has also announced she will not stand in the next election, as has Hywel Williams, one of only three Plaid Cymru MPs.

How many MPs usually stand down at general elections?

The 2010 election saw almost 150 MPs stand down, mainly from the Labour Party, which had been in power since 1997. Some of these MPs had announced that they would stand down in response to the expenses scandal of that same year.

If the election is unexpected, MPs have less time to consider whether to stand down – something that will have contributed to higher numbers of MPs standing down in 2010 and 2015 than at the snap elections of 2017 and 2019.

While some prominent parliamentarians are stepping down at the election, the number of retiring MPs is currently lower than in 2010, although it is likely to increase as the 7 June deadline for nominations approaches.

How long have the MPs standing down been in the Commons?

Conservative MPs who are standing down are most likely to be from the 2010 intake, as the party gained a lot of MPs at that election: almost 25% of current Conservative MPs are drawn from that cohort. Most SNP MPs stepping down are from the 2015 intake for similar reasons, with more than two-thirds of the party’s current MPs elected in that year.

Why are MPs standing down from parliament?

Some MPs are retiring from politics after having had long careers in the Commons. Barry Sheerman, the oldest sitting Labour MP, is planning to retire after 45 years in parliament. Similarly, Harriet Harman, the longest serving female MP, is leaving politics after four decades in office.

Many of those stepping down, however, are comparatively young. SNP MP Mhairi Black, once parliament’s youngest MP and still in her 20s, has announced that she does not intend to stand for parliament again. Other relatively young MPs are planning to stand down despite having become ministers, like Davison, or select committee chairs, like Robin Walker, during the course of this parliament.

Many MPs have cited personal reasons for standing down, like mental health struggles or a desire to spend more time with their families. Others have been critical of parliament itself. Black, for instance, described Westminster culture as "outdated, sexist and toxic". 23 Cochrane A, ‘Mhairi Black to step down as SNP MP at next election’, BBC News, 4 July 2023, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66101123Stuart Anderson said threats against his family had influenced his decision not to seek re-election in Wolverhampton South West, 24 Collins R and Glinka E, ‘Two Conservative Black Country MPs to step down at election’, BBC News, 28 March 2023, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65097041although he subsequently has been chosen as a candidate for the seat of South Shropshire instead. 25 Dawkins A, ‘MP Stuart Anderson selected as candidate in different area’, BBC News, 25 July 2023, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-66300464

Some MPs’ decisions may also have been prompted by the changes to constituency boundaries which will be in place for the next election, which have meant they may have faced a reselection battle to find a new constituency. For instance, Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, announced he was standing down after he was unsuccessful in securing automatic re-adoption as a candidate in a new seat. 26 Atkinson W, ‘Djanogly de-selected in Huntingdon. Once again, boundary changes proved the crucial factor’, Conservative Home, 4 April 2023, https://conservativehome.com/2023/04/04/djangoly-de-selected-in-huntingdon-once-again-boundary-changes-proved-the-crucial-factor/Likewise, Labour MPs Mick Whitley and Beth Winter were defeated in their attempts to secure re-selection by their parties.

Others may have been blocked from standing again by their party executives. The independent MP Geraint Davies announced he was unable to run as a Labour candidate as a hearing had not yet been held into anonymous allegations against him. Likewise, Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle was blocked from standing following an unspecified allegation about his behaviour.

Finally, some MPs might simply be sceptical of their chances of winning re-election. Many of the announcements from Conservative MPs have come in the past year, during which time Labour has enjoyed a sustained poll lead, while departing SNP MPs may have been influenced by the party’s decline in the polls throughout 2023.

Do MPs ever reverse their decision to stand down?

Occasionally MPs may reverse their decision. Suspended Conservative MP Julian Knight announced he would be standing down in April 2023 but reversed this decision on 31 May 2024, choosing to run as an independent candidate in Solihull West and Shirley. He argued that MPs ‘should not lose their position because of a false allegation’. 32 Knight J, tweet, 31 May 2024, https://twitter.com/julianknight15/status/1796500898740683206

MPs may also seek selection in another seat despite having announced that they are standing down. Four Conservative MPs so far have been selected for new seats despite announcing they were standing down:

• Stuart Anderson announced he was standing down from Wolverhampton South West in March 2023 but was selected as the candidate for South Shropshire in July 2023
• Chris Clarkson announced he was standing down from Heywood and Middleton in June 2023 but was selected as the candidate for Stratford-upon-Avon in June 2024
• Stuart Andrew announced he was standing down from Pudsey in August 2023 but was selected as the candidate for Daventry in June 2024
• Kieran Mullan announced he was standing down from Crewe and Nantwich in February 2024 but was selected as the candidate for Bexhill and Battle in June 2024

Some MPs on our list may continue to seek selection for a new seat until the deadline for nominations on 7 June. Jamie Wallis, 33 Tomorrow’s MPs, tweet, 17 May 2024, https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1791603715754918051; Tomorrow's MPs, tweet, 23 May 2024, https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1793715365316571295Andy Carter, 34 Tomorrow’s MPs, tweet, 31 May 2024, https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1796657590635581817Nicola Richards 35 Tomorrow’s MPs, tweet, 30 May 2024, https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1796294714511294822and Lisa Cameron 36 Tomorrow’s MPs, tweet, 31 May 2024, https://twitter.com/tomorrowsmps/status/1796611564700659826(all Conservative MPs) have all unsuccessfully attempted to gain selection in new seats in recent weeks.

Do MPs get paid once they stand down?

All MPs continue to receive their salary up to and including polling day. Additional salaries for chairs of select committees stop at the date of dissolution.

After an election, all those who cease to be an MP will receive a winding-up payment, equivalent to four months salary. Those who stand down are not eligible for an additional loss of office payments that MPs who lose their seat or stand unsuccessfully in a different seat receive.

How do MPs close down their offices?

Separate to the winding-up payment described above, departing MPs are entitled to claim for winding-up costs, to ensure that they can properly close down their offices. The winding up period covers the four months from the day after polling day. During this time MPs can continue to claim from their budgets for costs including staff salaries, travel costs, office lease costs, and data disposal costs. The pro-rated budgets are announced the day after polling day. MPs then need to provide an explanation of why the costs were incurred during the winding up period in order to claim.

The rules previously only applied to MPs who were not re-elected but after the repeal of the Fixed Term Parliament Act all MPs leaving parliament, from the 2024 election, are entitled to claim for winding up costs.

MPs will also need to issue redundancy notices to their staff. This is because MPs’ staff are employed by the individual MP, not by parliament, so when an MP stands down their staff are made redundant.

Which seats are MPs standing down from?