How many other Labour MPs will decide to quit Parliament mid-term as Tristram Hunt and Jamie Reed have done? Some had already found escape chutes in the form of Mayoral contests, as Andy Burnham has done. Others don’t have the option of staying in politics in that sort of detached role, yet are in their prime while achieving very little in Parliament. They are struggling with the hard left in their own seats – and if they are talented and visible, they will have received very attractive job offers which have made them question whether it is really worth staying in a miserable role in their prime achieving very little.
This latest resignation is not the latest in an organised ‘coup’ of MPs deserting their party to make a point. We will see more retirements than usual, and there will be other MPs who feel they cannot turn down a particularly good offer outside politics.
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