So, Boris has formally announced he’s standing down as MP for Henley. No surprise. But it’s a welcome announcement nonetheless. As Stephen’s already said, Boris should avoid cultivating the “part-time major notion”. And this should go some way to dispelling worries on that front.
It also means that the Tories can get into by-election mode proper. We already know who their candidate will be – one John Howell – and now it’s almost certain that the date will be 26 June. Now all Labour and the Lib Dems have to do is figure out how they can overturn a 12,793 majority in just three weeks…
P.S. The Guardian has point-by-point coverage of Boris’ press conference this morning.
UPDATE: The by-election date has been confirmed as 26 June.
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