Rishi Sunak will 'stay on as MP' despite jibes about leaving post for California
Rishi Sunak has said he is set to see out his term as an MP from the backbenches, following jibes that he might quit and return to live in California.
The former prime minister is likely to stay as representative for Richmond and Northallerton after losing office in July.
Both David Cameron and Boris Johnson left their role before an election after departing No 10 but Theresa May stayed on as an MP for two further terms.
Mr Sunak is likely to depart the Commons, according to the Guardian, at the next election - but will not move aside for a US gig or otherwise beforehand, a source has said.
The insider said: “Rishi’s a proud Yorkshire MP and he considers it the greatest of privileges to continue to serve his constituents as the MP for Richmond and Northallerton.
“The same people who claimed he’d step down after losing to Liz [Truss] in 2022, and then said he would leave the day after the election, are now saying he’ll quit when he steps down as leader – and they are just as wrong now as they were then.
“He’s not standing down.”
Former senior Conservatives Oliver Dowden, Grant Shapps and Simon Clarke have also been linked to making an exit before the end of the term, the Guardian has said.
Mr Sunak could take on a potentially lucrative post if he stepped down, but a recent crackdown on second jobs may stunt his progress while he remains in Whitehall.
A Standard study in 2021 found several London MPs were earning more than £10,000 per year in addition to their base salary of £91,346.
Commons leader Lucy Powell said in July that the existing rules contain “loopholes allowing a member to use their privileged position and knowledge for personal gain”.
She told the Commons: “This may encourage not only a potential conflict of interest, but a conflict of attention too, with too much of a member’s time and energy spent on things other than constituency or parliamentary business.”
It all came after former Tory MP Owen Paterson was found guilty of an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules, while a review was launched into the standards watchdog.