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Kit Malthouse drops out of Tory leadership race
Housing minister Kit Malthouse has withdrawn his bid to be the next Tory leader, a week after he entered the race.
Mr Malthouse, who is the second MP to pull out of the process, said in a statement he was aware there was “an appetite for this contest to be over quickly”.
The Brexit-backing MP for North West Hampshire, who took on the housing brief last July, said he wanted to lead a “new generation” of Conservatives, but that his political experiences had made him a “realist”.
His website to be leader – Join Kit – remains live.
Mr Malthouse said when he launched his leadership bid last week that the numbers on building high quality homes quickly were “looking good” but there is “much more work to do”.
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Mr Malthouse’s predecessor as housing minister, Dominic Raab, remains in the race to replace Theresa May as Conservative leader and prime minister, as does former housing secretary Sajid Javid.
The other declared runners are: Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom, Matt Hancock, Esther McVey, Sam Gyimah, Rory Stewart and Mark Harper.
Brexit minister James Cleverly also dropped out this week.
Mrs May will stand down as leader on Friday but remain prime minister until a successor is named by the week beginning 22 July.
Mr Malthouse shot to prominence in the Brexit process when he put forward the ‘Malthouse Compromise’, which would have involved the redrafting of the backstop provision for Northern Ireland in Britain’s withdrawal agreement with the EU and the extension of the agreed transition period to 2021.
Before entering Westminster, Mr Malthouse was a chartered accountant and deputy leader of Westminster Council. He subsequently became London’s deputy mayor for policing under Boris Johnson.
