With the Tories suffering a pounding in the polls after the announcement of a snap general election, it’s perhaps not surprising some MPs will already be thinking about their next move.
And that certainly appears to be the case for Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker, who was maybe too quick to reel off a list of high-adrenaline sports when asked what he’d do if he lost his Wycombe seat.
“Skydiving, motorcycling, fast catamaran sailing… the wide range of things I’ll do,” he said in his response to a question from the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire, which has since gone viral on social media.
“I think you’re talking about work though,” Mr Baker added, with a smile.
Ms Derbyshire then responded: “I was talking about the work, but that’s fine.” Mr Baker added: “The first thing I’ll do if I don’t win my seat is have a long break.”
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The bizarre exchange came after Mr Baker, who has held his seat for 14 years, accepted he’s widely expected to lose his 4,500 majority, but maintained he was optimistic constituents would prefer a Conservative government.
Mr Baker also said he would not take his voters for granted, despite earlier telling LBC he wasn’t cancelling his holiday plans for the party’s general election campaign.
He told the channel: “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.”
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.
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 Baker’s Wycombe seat is among a list of most-targeted constituencies for the Labour party, which came second in the 2019 election. Mr Baker has claimed boundary changes will mean he’ll lose more of his core support in the area.
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.
