Boris Johnson will not chase his safer former seat at the next election, his spokesperson has signalled as the Conservative MP in Henley announced he will not stand for re-election.
John Howell, 67, who has served as the Henley MP for 15 years, became the latest Tory to announce they will not run at the next general election.
Johnson represented the Henley constituency from 2001 to until his election as London mayor in 2008.
The former prime minister was last month re-selected as the Conservative candidate in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
It followed speculation that he might seek out a safer seat ahead of the next general election, expected next year, or what is known among politicos as a “chicken run”.
While Johnson holds a 7,000-vote majority, his west London seat is seen as a target for Labour at the next Westminster poll. Howell gained a 14,053 majority over the Liberal Democrats in 2019.
But allies of the former prime minister have always rejected any suggestion he would seek a new or safer seat, or that he plans to do anything else than run for his current seat.
A spokesperson for Johnson said: “Boris Johnson is standing in Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the next general election and was recently reselected as the Conservative candidate there.”
In a letter to the South Oxfordshire Conservative Association on Tuesday, Howell said he would be retiring and wanted to “pursue other avenues”.
He was first elected to the constituency in a 2008 by-election triggered by former Henley MP Johnson becoming Mayor of London. Howell went on to win the seat in four general elections.
A string of senior Tories and rising stars in the party have detailed their exit plans amid a polling slump, including former chancellor Sajid Javid and Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee.