Guido can reveal George Eustice is the latest MP to announce they will not be standing at the next general election. In an email to members of the Camborne and Redruth Conservative association, association chair Geoff Penhaligon confirmed the news, with Eustice himself saying it has been “a difficult decision”:

“Dear Member,

It is with a very heavy heart and deep sadness that I have to inform you that I have just received the following Email from George. George will be a great loss to this Constituency and to Cornwall as a whole, during his time as a Member of Parliament for CRCA he has achieved a lot and improved the lives of many. Having spoken at length to him about this he will still continue to serve us right up until the next General Election.

There will now be a procedure to follow in finding a new Candidate to represent us at the next General Election, this will take a while but I have already started to make enquiries and will keep you all updated. But in the meantime we must all put on a united front and be proud of what this Association has achieved…”

Eustice is the sixteenth Tory MP to announce they’re calling it quits before the election…

The latest forecast from UK Polling Report gives an idea of the electoral challenge he faced at the general election:

Read Eustice’s letter to his constituency assoication below:

Dear Geoff

By the time of the next election, I will have worked in front line politics for twenty five years, including almost fifteen years as the Member of Parliament for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle. I will also be 53 and will have time to do, perhaps, one more thing in life. I have therefore decided not to stand as a candidate in the next election. This has been a difficult decision for me. I feel a deep bond to my home towns and the area where my family have lived and worked for over four hundred years and it has been an honour to represent them. It is therefore a decision that I have been putting off to the final moment.

However, the local association needs to be free to select their next candidate and it is important that I give that candidate as much time as possible to establish themselves. There are still almost two years left of the current parliament and an important job to be done. I will be doing my utmost to help local constituents with problems in their lives and will strive all the way to the line to secure investment for Cornwall. I will also support our Prime Minister as he and the government address difficult global challenges. I would like to thank you and all our members for the help and support they have given me in four General Elections over the past fifteen years.

We won in 2010 against all the odds by a margin of just 66 votes and went on to win three more elections, building that majority to 8,700 last time. I will play my part alongside members to support the future candidate in the battle that lies ahead in 2024.

Your sincerely, George Eustice