The Tory MP who claimed there were “no-go areas” in parts of London and Birmingham has announced he is standing down from parliament.
Paul Scully, the MP for Sutton and Cheam, apologised for the comment and said he was “slightly furious with himself” for triggering the row.
Announcing his intention to quit at the upcoming election, the former minister warned his party not to act like “bell-ends” and stick to the centre-ground.
He said on X: “Fuelled by division, the party has lost its way and needs to get a clear focus which I hope the budget can start to provide.
“It needs a vision beyond crisis management which can appeal to a wider section of the electorate including younger people
“If we just focus on core vote, eventually that core shrinks to nothing. Talk more about housing; renting first because home ownership has drifted too far from so many. Show a real connection and empathy with other generations.”
In the lengthy thread, Scully added he was “speaking truth to power” and still wanted to see the Tories win the next election.
“The last nine years have been an incredible roller coaster. I’ve achieved so much with the Post Office, hospitality, tech, gambling, my local hospital, my work in Myanmar & beyond,” he said.
“But I’ve also lost my marriage and seen two colleagues murdered. So time to pass on the baton.”
It comes as a new Ipsos UK poll showed the Conservatives have dropped to devastatingly low approval rating of just 20% – the worst result for the party since the political tracker began in 1978.
The survey landed days before Rishi Sunak reveals his spring Budget, widely seen as the prime minister’s last significant chance to woo voters ahead the election due later this year.