Kevin Hollinrake, who represents Thirsk and Malton, was just two MP’s short of the ten needed to be eligible to stand.
It leaves Kemi Badenoch, Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly in the race to replace Rishi Sunak. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said she will not be running.
Mr Hollinrake, who was first elected in 2015, told the Press: “I wanted to make sure we didn’t become a London and South-East focussed party. Most of the candidates are from that neck of the woods.
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“I didn’t expect to win. I wanted to make a case for investment in the North.”
The 60-year-old, who co-founded the Hunters estate agency chain in 1992, says he would have bought business experience to the role and knowing many MPs from the Midlands and the North, would have given “a regional voice.”
“This will truly help level up the North. I don’t want that (policy) to be lost.”
“Getting things done” also mattered, with him as Post Office Minister widely recognised for helping settle the compensation payments issue during the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, including overturning the wrongful convictions of hundreds of post office managers for theft.
As to whether the Conservative Party needs to swing left to appeal to Liberal-Democrat voters, or move to the right to win back those it lost to Reform UK, Mr Hollinrake, who was returned on July 4 with a 7,550 (15.1%) majority, adds 2.5million 2019 Conservative voters also stayed at home.
(Image: pic supplied)
“We need to be centre right. We can’t be right, we can’t be left. I sit in the middle of that,” he explained.
And to “bring people back in, we also have to have that (principle) applied to the North and the Midlands.”
Now, with Mr Hollinrake not standing, who will he support for leader?
“I do not know. I’m going to sit and wait and listen and make a decision in due course.”
In the meantime, current Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak recently appointed the Yorkshireman as Shadow Business Secretary, an interim role until the new leader takes over.
This will follow MPs voting to reduce the field from six candidates for leader to four in September.
A husting will be held at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham for the four candidates remaining and then the party’s MPs will vote to narrow the field to two candidates. The party’s wider membership will then vote with the winner announced in November.
As for what shadow role Mr Hollinrake will play then, “that will be for someone else to decide,” he added.
