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Education Minister Robert Halfon and Armed Forces Minister James Heappey step down, triggering a reshuffle in the British government
In a significant blow to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, two ministers tendered their resignations on Tuesday, precipitating a shake-up in junior ranks within the government.
Education Minister Robert Halfon and Armed Forces Minister James Heappey also declared their intentions not to contest in the upcoming general elections.
Robert Halfon, a seasoned member of Parliament, announced his unexpected decision to step down as the education minister and exit the Commons at the next general election, which is to be held no later than Jan. 28, 2025.
“After well over two decades as the Harlow parliamentary candidate and as MP, I feel that it is time for me to step down at the forthcoming general election, and in doing so, to resign as a minister in your government,” Halfon wrote in his letter to Sunak.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, who has served as a parliamentarian since 2015, revealed his intention to resign as a lawmaker and relinquish his ministerial post earlier this month.
Heappey signaled his departure with a picture outside the Whitehall department, captioned with the word "endex," a military term signifying the end of a hard exercise and the accompanying sense of relief.
Heappey, a former soldier who has held various roles in the Ministry of Defense since 2019, was reportedly on “resignation watch” after telling colleagues privately that he was unhappy about the level of defense spending.
In response to the resignations, Sunak initiated a mini-reshuffle of junior ministerial roles within the government.
The double resignations exacerbate the prevailing sense of pessimism surrounding the Tories, raising concerns in Downing Street about the number of MPs stepping down.
The record for the highest number of Conservatives standing down from Parliament in a single term stands at 75, set in the lead-up to Labour’s 1997 landslide victory.
With the current trend, the party is expected to surpass this figure under Sunak's leadership.
Source: Newsroom
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