George Osborne
The Guardian reports:
George Osborne, the former chancellor, has said he is stepping down as an MP “for now” following his decision to take a job as editor of the Evening Standard and other lucrative roles outside the House of Commons.
Following 24 hours of speculation about his future, he told the Evening Standard he was quitting but hinted he would want to return to frontline politics in future.
“I am stepping down from the House of Commons – for now. But I will remain active in the debate about our country’s future and on the issues I care about, like the success of the ‘northern powerhouse’,” he said.
…Since becoming a backbencher, Osborne declared new employment paying £650,000 a year for one day’s work a week for fund manager BlackRock. He has earned £800,000 for 15 speaking engagements in the last year, collects a £120,000 a year stipend from a US thinktank and has a book deal on top of the £75,000 MP’s salary. He will take up his editorship in mid-May.
Almost 200,000 people had signed a petition started by one of his constituents urging him to “pick a job”.