Andrea Leadsom said the Conservatives were most aligned with people's "ideals and values"
Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom has announced she will not be standing in the general election.
The junior health minister said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she made the decision after "careful reflection".
She has been the MP for South Northamptonshire for 14 years and held several senior ministerial roles in that time.
"Some of my happiest moments in politics have been in achieving positive outcomes for my constituents," said Ms Leadsom.
Her previous government positions included being environment secretary, leader of the House of Commons and business secretary.
She is currently minister for public health, start for life and primary care.
Ms Leadsom was close to becoming prime minister in 2016, but withdrew from the leadership race that Theresa May ultimately won.
She received a damehood in October 2022 for services to politics.
'Ideals and values'
In her resignation letter, she referenced her campaigning to leave the European Union, setting up the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme in Parliament and - her "greatest passion" - work on early years support for children.
She did not outline reasons for standing down.
"I will continue to support the Conservative Party through this general election and in the future as the party best aligned with the ideals and values of the people of the United Kingdom," she said.
Earlier, Michael Gove also said he would step down as an MP - one of at least 119 Tories who have made this move.
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Two women were stabbed on Durley Chine Beach on Friday night, near Bournemouth Pier (Getty Images)
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A manhunt is underway after a woman in her 30s died in a double stabbing on a beach in Bournemouth.
Dorset Police said they were called to reports that two women, both from Poole, had been stabbed on Durley Chine Beach around 11.45pm on Friday.
A 34-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene while a 38-year-old was taken to hospital with very serious injuries. Their next of kin have been informed and the coroner notified.
The beach has been cordoned off while police search the area and a murder investigation has been launched.
Superintendent Gavin House said: “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the woman who very tragically lost her life. Officers are searching the area, but no arrests have been made at this time. A full and detailed investigation is underway.
“I would ask anyone who saw what happened or has any information about the offender and has not yet spoken to officers to please contact us urgently.
Have you been affected by this? Email andy.gregory@independent.co.uk
Police statement in full after two women stabbed in Bournemouth
Here is Dorset Police’s statement in full:
A murder investigation has been launched by detectives following the death of a woman in Bournemouth. At 11.42pm on Friday 24 May 2024, Dorset Police received a report that two people had been stabbed on Durley Chine Beach.
Very sadly, a 34-year-old woman from Poole was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed and the coroner notified. A 38-year-old woman from Poole was taken to hospital with very serious injuries and her next of kin are aware.
Superintendent Gavin House, of Dorset Police, said: “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the woman who very tragically lost her life. Officers are searching the area, but no arrests have been made at this time. A full and detailed investigation is underway.
“I would ask anyone who saw what happened or has any information about the offender and has not yet spoken to officers to please contact us urgently.
“The beach has been cordoned off to enable officers to conduct a thorough investigation of the scene. I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while this vital work takes place.
“Members of the public will see an increased police presence in the area over the coming days and officers from the local neighbourhood policing team can be approached with any concerns.”
Thousands of people would have been expected to visit the Blue Flag-awarded Durley Chine Beach today, as temperatures are set to approach 20C under blue skies.
However a large cordon remains in place and police are reportedly turning would-be visitors away.
Bournemouth residents express worry over perpetrator on the loose
Residents in Bournemouth have expressed their concerns that the perpetrator of the double stabbing on Durley Chine Beach remains at large.
“It’s worrying to think that they still haven’t found the person and they’re out there somewhere,” a man visiting the town for work told the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Another couple from Bournemouth told the outlet: “We were walking through the gardens and you don’t know if the person is still here. It does not shed a good light on Bournemouth.”
Nearly 100 people injured by knife crime in Dorset in past six months
A total of 98 people have suffered injuries as a result of knife crime in Dorset over the past six months, a freedom of information request to Dorset Police revealed last week.
Dorset police and crime commissioner David Sidwick said in November that the county had the second-lowest rate of knife crime in England and Wales, citing inspectorate data covering the 12 months to December 2022.
Enhanced police presence near Durley Chine Beach in coming days
Dorset Police said there would be an increased number of officers patrolling the area of the double stabbing in the coming days.
“Members of the public will see an increased police presence in the area over the coming days and officers from the local neighbourhood policing team can be approached with any concerns,” the force said.
Durley Chine Beach has been cordoned off following last night’s double stabbing.
Superintendent Gavin House sad: “The beach has been cordoned off to enable officers to conduct a thorough investigation of the scene. I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while this vital work takes place.”
Dorset Police have urged members of the public to come forward with any information they may have about the double stabbing on Durley Chine Beach.
“I would ask anyone who saw what happened or has any information about the offender and has not yet spoken to officers to please contact us urgently,” said Superintendent Gavin House.
The Met Office has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms.
Forecasters have put the yellow weather warning in place from 12pm on Sunday, May 26 to 8pm the same day. It covers the whole of Merseyside and the majority of the North West.
The weather warning is in place due to "slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms which may cause flooding and disruption in places". Temperatures will reach highs of 16C on Sunday.
According to the Met Office this is what people can expect:
Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater and lightning strikes
There is a small chance that some communities become temporarily cut off by flooded roads
Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
The outlook on Monday looks clearer with some sunshine and showers. The Met Office said it could merge with longer spells of rain. Temperatures will be average on Monday, they said.
Rishi Sunak will retreat from the campaign trail on Saturday, spending the day at home in his constituency and in London after a difficult first few days of the general election campaign.
Three sources have said the prime minister is taking the unusual step of a day away from public events on the first Saturday of the campaign and instead will spend it in discussion with his closest advisers.
Conservatives aides said the move was not part of an attempt to reset his campaign after a first week plagued by missteps and high-level resignation announcements.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, is in contrast planning to use the day at public events designed to focus on his argument that the Conservatives have damaged the economy and raised living costs. He is understood not to be planning any days off the campaign trail for the next six weeks before polling day.
Sunak’s decision to take a day away from public campaigning comes after an error-strewn start to the campaign for the prime minister.
He then attended a public question-and-answer session at a factory at which it was revealed that two of the questioners were Tory councillors, before asking workers in Wales whether they were looking forward to the Euro 2024 football tournament, for which Wales has not qualified.
He was also hit by the announcements of two senior Tory ministers – Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom – that they were standing down and will not contest the election. Leadsom is reported to have been so unhappy at the decision to call a July election that she considered submitting a letter of no confidence in the prime minister.
Conservative jitters about the campaign were distilled on Friday afternoon in a searing article by Fraser Nelson, the editor of the right-leaning magazine the Spectator, in which he argued Sunak was making a mistake by trying to make himself the sole focus of the campaign.
“A popular leader may run a personal campaign, but Sunak’s approval ratings are worse than almost any prime minister in postwar history,” Nelson wrote in the Telegraph.
A Conservative source called the idea that Sunak was hoping to reset his campaign “ridiculous”. But another campaign operative added: “Prime ministers don’t normally spend the first weekend of the campaign at home talking to their advisers.”
A Conservative spokesperson did not respond to a request to comment.
Long-serving Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove has announced he will not stand at the general election, as the second full day of campaigning was marked by an exodus of MPs.
Mr Gove, first elected MP for Surrey Heath in 2005, is understood to have made the decision in the last couple of days.
He is the most high-profile of the nearly 80 Conservative MPs who have stepped down ahead of the 4 July vote - alongside public health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom.
Mr Gove has been a close ally of Rishi Sunak, who he said "has the plan our country needs".
As Parliament was prorogued and a handful of government bills rushed through before the cut-off:
Mr Gove had a majority of 18,349 at the last general election. But his Surrey Heath seat is a key Liberal Democrat target on 4 July.
The Lib Dems claimed Mr Gove was “running scared” of their candidate Alasdair Pinkerton, who came second in the constituency in 2019.
Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: "The drumbeat of Conservative MPs stepping down has been getting louder as the days go by - now it’s deafening."
A long ministerial career saw Mr Gove first enter the cabinet as education secretary when David Cameron became prime minister in 2010.
Alongside Mr Johnson, he was one of the leaders of the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
And he has been a key part of Mr Sunak's top team as housing minister.
The PM has yet to comment on Mr Gove's resignation, but earlier insisted he is "pumped up" on a whirlwind tour of all four nations of the UK in his first day of campaigning.
Also on Friday, energy regulator Ofgem confirmed consumer bills will drop again from July, by seven per cent.
Mr Sunak said the fall showed "the economy has turned a corner" and "our plan is working".
In Scotland, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was also eager to focus on energy, arguing that despite the falling price cap, an average family would still pay around £400 ($509) more annually than a few years ago.
He insisted his party's plans to set up a new "Great British Energy" firm would help bring down bills and spearhead a Scottish-led "clean energy revolution".
Elsewhere in Scotland, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes spent the second day of campaigning in the Highlands, saying rural Scotland was struggling with exports due to Brexit and pledging that SNP MPs would stand up for them in Westminster.
'New generation should lead'
In a letter to his local Conservative Association chairman, Mr Gove thanked party members for helping him to win his seat at five general elections.
He said his parents, who adopted him when he was four months old, brought him up with the belief that "to help others is the greatest gift you can be given" as he grew up in Aberdeen.
Mr Gove said he could "never have imagined" having the opportunity to be an MP sitting in the Commons, "let alone around the Cabinet table" serving under four prime ministers - an unbroken 14 years apart from the brief premiership of Liz Truss.
He said he was grateful to Lord Cameron for giving him the chance to pursue education reform, Mrs May "who asked me to support her in challenging times", and Mr Johnson "who delivered Brexit and set out the levelling up vision".
Mr Sunak, he added, "asked me to return to government when I believed my ministerial career had ended" and allowed him to pursue the cause of levelling up.
In a hint at his 2022 divorce from journalist Sarah Vine, who he married in 2001 and with whom he has two children, Mr Gove said: "I also know the toll office can take, as do those closest to me."
He added: "The chance to serve is wonderful. but there comes a time when you know that it is time to leave. That a new generation should lead."
On Brexit, he said: "I am proud to have led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Boris Johnson and Gisela Stuart - which secured the largest mandate in modern British history for a vote to leave the European Union and take back control of our political destiny.
"Fundamentally our country is stronger with politicians in Westminster able to control our laws, our borders and our money.
"Since 2016 we have also increased NHS funding by considerably more than £350m a week."
Although he said "I have undoubtedly made mistakes", Mr Gove said he had "always tried to be a voice for those who have been overlooked and undervalued".
"I have tried to fight for greater social justice. My education reforms were designed to build a country where everyone - no matter their background - can become the authors of their own life stories," he added.
Also on the campaign trail, Sir Keir committed to be willing to take part in two TV election debates with Rishi Sunak.
It came after the PM accused Sir Keir of not wanting to debate him and Mr Sunak telling the Daily Telegraph he is prepared to debate his opposite number every week of the six-week campaign.
Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he will stand as an independent candidate in Islington North, vowing to fight for equality, democracy and peace.
The former Labour leader, who has held the seat for more than 40 years, said he would defend policies that had not been adopted by Labour or the Conservatives, including rent controls and the abolition of the two-child benefits cap.
He was blocked from standing again for Labour, and suspended for remarks he made after the equalities watchdog report into antisemitism in the party. The decision means Corbyn has been expelled from the Labour party.
The Guardian understands Corbyn had hoped to announce his plans to stand next Tuesday, but Rishi Sunak’s snap election announcement forced him to bring the announcement forward.
A close ally said Corbyn had always wanted to notify his constituents first, so he announced his intentions in an article for the Islington Tribune.
Writing in the newspaper, he said: “When I was first elected, I made a promise to stand by my constituents no matter what … In Islington North, we keep our promises.”
Corbyn’s allies told the Guardian last year he was intending to stand as an MP, citing research they had undertaken in the constituency suggesting a win was possible because he commanded a personal vote seven times higher than the average constituency MP.
Corbyn criticised Labour’s decision to stop local members from taking part in shortlisting candidates, urging members to “stand up and defend our rights”.
Last year, 98% of attenders at a local party monthly general meeting backed a motion thanking Corbyn for his “commitment and service to the people”, adding it was members’ “democratic right to select our MP”.
Labour has shortlisted Sem Moema, a member of the London assembly, and Praful Nargund, an Islington councillor, to run against Corbyn, in what is likely to be a testy battle. The winner of Labour’s selection process will be announced on 1 June.
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said Corbyn’s choice to stand as an independent was a matter for him, adding: “We will have an excellent Labour candidate in Islington North, as we’ve got excellent Labour candidates across the country.
“But in the end, this election is about a choice, a choice of five more years of the chaos and division that we’ve seen over the last 14 years, or turning the page and rebuilding our country with Labour. That is what’s on the ballot paper, whether it’s in Islington North or anywhere else across the country.”
The leftwing grassroots group Momentum criticised Starmer for blocking Corbyn from standing again as a Labour candidate.
Kate Dove, the co-chair of the group said: “This is an almighty mess for Labour and Keir Starmer alone bears responsibility. Starmer’s attacks on Jeremy were never just about one man – they were about driving out the socialist politics he represented, in favour of elite interests.”
Appealing to lifelong Labour voters to support him, Corbyn said: “I am here to represent the people of Islington North on exactly the same principles that I’ve stood by my whole life: social justice, human rights and peace.”
He went on to say “these principles are needed now more than ever before”, vowing to defend “a genuine alternative to the corrupt years of this Tory government”, including pushing for rent controls, public ownership of energy and water, the abolition of the two-child benefits cap, a Green New Deal, and an ethical foreign policy based on peace and human rights.
Corbyn led Labour for nearly five years, and had been supported by Momentum since his 2015 leadership campaign. While the leftwing group is understood to be backing the Labourparty in the election campaign, insiders have acknowledged a number of members may quit the party in order to back Corbyn’s campaign, alongside other independent candidates.
Paula Vennells broke down in tears during her evidence on Wednesday
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Ex-Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells has been accused of talking “absolute rubbish” after she broke down in tears once again at the Horizon inquiry to insist that she loved the company and had “worked to the best of my ability” over the scandal.
Challenged by Barrister Sam Stein KC, who acts on behalf of subpostmasters, that the risk to the Post Office of looking “under the rock” of bugs with the Horizon software “was too great” and “you couldn’t let that happen”, Ms Vennells insisted that “I loved the Post Office”.
After tearing up and pausing for nearly 30 seconds, Ms Vennells said she had not prioritised the Post Office’s wellbeing over that of subpostmasters and “worked as hard as I could and to the best of my ability” but had not been given the right information at the time.
Mr Stein KC challenged that this was “absolute rubbish”, adding: “Under your leadership ... you took on the co-litigants in the High Court, fighting tooth and nail, allowing counsel on behalf of the Post Office to cross-examine the litigants on the basis that the losses were their fault due to incompetence or dishonesty.”
Vennells says ‘very appropriate’ for Post Office to be stripped of specialist agency status in Scotland
The lawyer acting on behalf of wrongfully convicted Scottish subposmaster Susan Sinclair has asked Paula Vennells how she had received statements by Scotland’s lord advocate to the Scottish Parliament last week “that the Post Office is no longer trusted and has been stripped of its role as a specialist agency in Scotland”.
After asking for the question to be repeated, Ms Vennells said: “I think that’s a very appropriate response.”
Paula Vennells asked whether she questioned safety of Post Office convictions
Paula Vennells is now being quizzed by Christie Allan, who represents Susan Sinclair, the first subpostmistress in Scotland to successfully appeal her wrongful prosecution – which happened only last September.
Ms Allan has begun by asking how, given Ms Vennells’ claims that she always sought to be questioning in her approach – alongside accounts by subpostmasters, the findings of Second Sight, discovery of bugs in Horizon and revelations about Fujitsu witness Gareth Jenkins – to what extent she questioned the safety of convictions including those in Scotlan.
Ms Vennells replied: “All of the subpostmasters who raised cases were admitted into the scheme, if their applications were considered there was a case to do that. There was no intention to exclude anybody. So my understanding – and I’m very sorry because I wouldn’t have known the individual cases, if there were Scottish cases in those – I am very sorry that it took so long for that to be resolved.”
But she denied being reassured that there “was an extra layer of protection in Scottish prosecutions” because of how the Scottish legal system works, saying: “I had no knowledge of that and I don’t believe I asked enough questions.”
Paula Vennells is now being asked questions by Catriona Watt, who is representing the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), a group which campaigner Alan Bates described to the inquiry in April as “absolutely useless”.
She challenges that Horizon being “robust” was a mantra repeated again and again, “until it became corporate truth”.
Ms Vennells replied: “I and many colleagues in the Post Office took comfort from the fact that senior officials in the NFSP were saying that kind of thing. We see many examples of where words are picked up across time and I don’t know where ‘robust’ came from originally. It was certainly used very regularly by the Post Office.”
“We took it as very genuine, useful experience that the NFSP – made up as you know of people who ran Post Offices on a daily basis – found the system to be robust.”
Paula Vennells denies setting culture of ‘eliminating’ subpostmasters
The inquiry has been shown a strategy advice document which suggests “forcing” subpostmasters “into a collective position where they will either abandon the claims or seek a reasonable settlement”.
Barrister Sam Stein KC said: “That happened under your leadership, Ms Vennells, all of it did. You set the tone, didn’t you, Ms Vennells, and the tone was ‘let’s eliminate them, let’s get rid of these bugs in the system, the subpostmasters – that’s what you set in place, wasn’t it Ms Vennells?’”
After Ms Vennells asked again: “Is that a question because I’d like to answer it”, Mr Stein replied: “Yes, the ‘wasn’t it, Ms Vennells?’ was the question, I think you may have noticed.”
After another long pause, Ms Vennells said: “I did not set a culture like that. I did not lead the litigation. I remember reading this document – well actually I don’t know if I saw this particular document, because I was not personally involved in the litigation steering committee, there was a board subcommittee of which I was one member. I had two conversations with Jane MacLeod ... and I’m disappointed she can’t come and give evidence to the inquiry because I think it is important that the inquiry understands more around the approach to the group litigation.”
Vennells says she learned postmasters had to pay back shortfalls in 2013
Paula Vennells has said she became aware of the fact that postmasters were expected to pay for any shortfalls in their accounts, including sums of tens of thousands of pounds.
Asked when she first became aware of this, she said she was running an organisation of 60,000 people.
But pressed again, after a very long pause, she said: “I imagine when the team working on the complaints and mediation scheme were looking at the detail of some of those cases. And I knew about Mrs Misra’s case, which was a huge amount of money. I can’t remember other examples, but I’m sure there were some.”
Chair intervenes to ask about whereabouts of former Post Office IT director
The inquiry’s chair Sir Wyn Williams has intervened to ask whether Paula Vennells has had any recent contact with former Post Office IT director Mike Young.
Sir Wyn said: “It’s just that the inquiry to date has been unable to trace Mr Young, and so I was seeing if Ms Vennells could help us.”
Ms Vennells said: “No, I’m sorry. I had wondered why he hadn’t been here.”
Sir Wyn Williams has also issued a statement regarding former Post Office general counsel Jane MacLeod, confirming that she has been removed from the timetable as she “will not co-operate with the Inquiry by providing oral evidence”.
Vennells challenged to name those who she trusted ‘too much'
Paula Vennells has been challenged to name which individuals she blames and who she trusted too much.
After Ms Vennells suggested she had done this previously, Barrister Sam Stein KC said: “No, do it again. Tell us who you think that you shouldn’t have trusted because they let you down. Give us the names. Please.”
She said: “I will do that but I’d also like to say that, at the time I trusted the people who gave me the information, so on the IT side, Lesley Sewell and Mike Young, and there were two other IT directors, but at the times we’re talking about it was Mike Young and Lesley Sewell.
And on the legal side the general counsels, Susan Crichton and Chris Aujard, and later Jane MacLeod. And those people I had worked with on numbers of other very seriously important projects. They had never let me down. And I’m not sure at what stage you start to not trust individuals with whom you have previously.
“And I think one of the big mistakes which I mentioned on day one here is that we did not have sufficient oversight, particulaly around two very technical functions, because there is a risk that if you rely on – as I did and my board and group executive colleagues did – we relied on one or two key individuals.
“And that puts a burden on those individuals. And an organisation shouldn’t do that. We should have had better scrutiny around the board table in terms of IT and legal.”
Vennells says she can’t recall if she questioned discovery of bugs in Horizon
Paula Vennells has insisted she could not recall whether she questioned why she had not been told earlier about Horizon bugs upon finding out about them.
Barrister Sam Stein KC said: “The only way to understand your evidence – if you’re saying you care about subpostmasters, if you say you cared deeply about the system, a sensible intelligent CEO would say ‘what’s going on?
“Why did I not get told there were bugs in the system, that they existed, and that they were the mismatch bug, suspense bug, calendar square, all of that?’”
Ms Vennells said: “In terms of the bug that arose when I was CEO, the local suspense bug, as I said yesterday, I had a conversation with Alwen Lyons when I said ‘I want to take leadership on this and I want to demonstrate that we will handle these things properly. However the two previous bugs had been handled was not something for me to deal with. I was reassured that they had been sorted out as they needed to be.”
Paula Vennells breaks down in tears when insisting ‘I loved the Post Office'
Paula Vennells has broken down in tears again as she insisted “I love the Post Office” – but was rebuked by barrister Sam Stein KC that her claims were “absolute rubbish”.
“You failed to ask the right questions, you couldn’t be bothered, could you Ms Vennells. The risk was too great, looking under that rock you’re going to find a problem. It’s going to devastate the Post Office, going to ruin it, and you couldn’t let that happen,” challenged the subpostmasters’ barrister Mr Stein.
Ms Vennells began to reply that “I loved the Post Office, I gave it...” before tearing up and pausing for nearly 30 seconds until continuing: “I worked as hard as I possibly could to deliver the best Post Office for the UK. It would have been wonderful to have 30,000 Post Office branches. That would have been the best outcome ever – to have had more Post Offices in more communities.
“What I failed to do and I have made this clear previously, is I did not recognise – and it’s been discussed across the inquiry – the imbalance of power between the institution and the individual, and I let these people down. I am very aware of that.
“We should have had better governance in place, we should have had better data reporting in place which meant that we could see what was happening to individual postmasters and to the system. That was not the case.
“At no time did I put the Post Office over the cases that were brought forwards. I worked as hard as I could and to the best of my ability and I am very sorry that I was not able to find out what the inquiry has found out. I don’t know today how much wasn’t told to me. I do know information that I didn’t get.”
Mr Stein KC gives this short shrift, however, saying: “Ms Vennells that’s absolute rubbish isn’t it? Under your leadership, with your sidekick Ms van den Bogerd, you took on the co-litigants in the High Court, fighting tooth and nail, allowing counsel on behalf of the Post Office to cross-examine the litigants on the basis that the losses were their fault due to incompetence or dishonesty.
“That’s what happened under your leadership. Ms Vennells, that’s what you allowed to happen under your leadership.”
