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Election 2024: Dame Andrea not re-standing
25/05/2024
She becomes the 77th Conservative to confirm they won’t be returning
South Northants will have a new MP after the General Election. That is guaranteed before a single vote has been cast following the announcement by Dame Andrea Leadsom that she won’t be re-standing.
Dame Andrea has represented the area covering Brackley and the surrounding villages for the Conservatives since 2010.
No reason has been given for the decision, which Dame Andrea says came after “careful reflection”. She added: “It has been the greatest honour to serve the people of South Northamptonshire as their MP for the last 14 years.”
Following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement on Wednesday of a General Election the total number of Conservative MPs who have announced they won’t be re-standing has so far reached 77.
During her time in Parliament Dame Andrea took a prominent role in the campaign to leave the European Union. Following David Cameron’s post Bexit vote resignation as Prime Minister Dame Andrea was one of the early favourites to become the next prime minister. However, before the final voting round she withdrew from the leadership battle, leaving the door to Number 10 open for Theresa May.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Dame Andrea said: “Since my first days in the House of Commons, I have strived to serve my country, from reforming bank regulation in the wake of the financial crisis, both on the Treasury Committee and as City Minister, to leading the charge to reform of the EU and when that was clearly impossible, to fighting for Brexit and then working as Defra Secretary to publish the first 25 Year Food and Farming, and Environment Plans.”
Her letter concludes: “I will continue to support the Conservative Party through this General Election and in the future as the party best aligned with the ideals and values of the people of the United Kingdom.”
At the 2019 General Election Dame Andrea was re-elected with a majority of 27,761 – some 62.4 per cent of the vote.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam