Nigel Adams says he will do ‘utmost’ to help Sunak win election despite quitting

The Boris Johnson ally became the third Tory MP to quit in 24 hours when he resigned on Saturday.

Outgoing MP Nigel Adams said he will campaign for his replacement in the by-election he triggered (Kirsty O’Connor/PA) (PA Archive)

A Boris Johnson ally who quit the Commons in a reported row over a peerage has insisted that he will do his “utmost” to help Rishi Sunak win the next general election.

Conservative Nigel Adams announced on Saturday that he was stepping down as Selby and Ainsty MP with “immediate effect”, becoming the third Tory to quit Westminster in the space of 24 hours.

In a fuller statement released on Sunday, the ex-minister said he wanted to “make clear” that he remained “committed” to the governing party despite following Mr Johnson’s lead in announcing his resignation.

He said it was “essential” that the Prime Minister won the next election as he vowed to return a Tory MP in the by-election triggered by his own departure.

It is essential that the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak win the next election and I will do my utmost to ensure that happens

Nigel Adams, former Tory MP

Mr Adams resignation came only a day after former prime minister Mr Johnson dramatically quit as an MP over complaints about the yet-to-be-published findings of a Commons partygate inquiry.

Mr Adams was reportedly one of a number of Tory MPs, including Nadine Dorries and Sir Alok Sharma, who were put forward for a peerage by Mr Johnson in his resignation honours but did not feature in Friday’s published list.

Downing Street has denied taking any names off the list handed to the Prime Minister.

In a post on LinkedIn, Mr Adams said: “Further to my announcement to stand down from Parliament with immediate effect, I want to make clear that I remain committed to the Conservative Party and support this Government in its work to continue delivering on the issues that matter most to the British people.

“I have left Parliament to return to my private sector career but I will continue to make the case for Conservative values.

“It is essential that the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak win the next election and I will do my utmost to ensure that happens.

“I am also looking forward to helping our excellent new candidate, Michael Naughton, in the by-election and at the general election.

“He knows the area and was born in Selby. He has served our country well and I know he will serve our part of North Yorkshire well.”

The former Foreign Office minister also praised Mr Johnson’s premiership, heralding his landslide 2019 election victory and response to both Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said the Leave campaigner had “saved Brexit from attempts to thwart it”.

Mr Johnson’s resignation honours included the appointment of seven new peers to the House of Lords, with Tory Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen among those to be given a seat in the upper chamber.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission, which vets peerages, confirmed on Sunday that it did not support eight nominees submitted by Mr Johnson.

A spokeswoman told the PA news agency it was a “point of principle” for the commission that those approved for a Lords appointment cannot be sitting MPs.