A senior Conservative MP has said he won’t cancel his holiday plans for his party’s general election campaign despite admitting he will likely lose his seat.
Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe, said he would stick to his plans after admitting he was widely expected to lose his seat in July.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak launched the Conservative Party’s general election campaign in London on Wednesday, with the country set to head to the polls on 4 July.
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When challenged by LBC if he would be putting his plans on hold, Mr Baker said: “I’m not going to announce any of my plans, but I can tell you I’m going to keep to my plans.
“My wife is very long-suffering, I’ve been serving my constituents for 14 years, I’ve done some heavy lifting on the airwaves tonight, I’m going to stick to my plans.”
On Wednesday evening, Mr Baker admitted he was expected to lose his seat, but vowed he would put himself forward in the hope he would win.
“It’s true that I am widely expected to lose. But I’m optimistic that the people of Wycombe prefer a Conservative government to a Labour government. So I’m going to be putting myself forward and of course hoping to win,” he said.
More than 60 Conservative MPs have said they will stand down at the next general election, including former prime minister Theresa May.
Current polling predicts a Labour landslide, as Sir Keir Starmer’s party sits around 20-points ahead in recent opinion polls.
Mr Sunak’s announcement caught Westminster by surprise, with foreign secretary David Cameron called back from an overseas trip to Albania and defence secretary Grant Shapps also forced to cancel plans.
Cabinet ministers were summoned at 4pm and the prime minister stepped outside an hour later, using the morning’s inflation figures as a springboard to promise a flourishing economy.
Using the slogan “clear plan, bold action, secure future”, the prime minister used his actions as chancellor during the Covid crisis as the backdrop for his achievements in office.
