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The Tory pre-election exodus continued today with Nadhim Zahawi announcing he will quit the Commons.
The former chancellor and education secretary has become the 65th Conservative to confirm they are not standing again.
It is another blow for Rishi Sunak after two defections to Labour in a fortnight - and rumours at Westminster that more MPs are considering switching sides following.
An extraordinary poll this morning added to Tory gloom after dire local election results last week.
YouGov research for the Times put Labour 30 points ahead - the biggest advantage since Liz Truss was in power and enough for a huge landslide at a general election.
In more woe, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen - the only Tory to cling on in the latest round of voting - has said the party's struggles are 'ultimately' Mr Sunak's responsibility.
Nadhim Zahawi has become the 65th Conservative to confirm they are not standing again
It is another blow for Rishi Sunak after two defections to Labour in a fortnight - and rumours at Westminster that more MPs are considering switching sides following
YouGov research for the Times put Labour 30 points ahead - the biggest advantage since Liz Truss was in power and enough for a huge landslide at a general election
Mr Zahawi said he 'pinched himself' that he had been able to serve in the Cabinet
Mr Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chairman in January last year after an ethics investigation found he had committed a 'serious breach of the Ministerial Code' following days of questions over his tax affairs.
However, he remains a popular and influential figure on the Tory benches.
In a letter posted on X on Thursday morning, he said: 'With the exception of convincing my wife to marry me, it has been the greatest honour of my life to represent the people of Stratford-on-Avon and serve as a Minister of the Crown.
'But after 14 years in Parliament, and multiple roles in Cabinet and Government, I have come to the decision not to stand again at the next general election.'
He went on: 'But as my most famous constituent once wrote: 'Go to your bosom; knock there and ask your heart what it doth know'.
'I have come to feel that the time is right for a new, energetic Conservative to fight for the honour of representing Stratford-on-Avon and assuming the mantle of MP for Shakespeare.
'I will, of course, serve my constituents with dedication and determination until then, and the Prime Minister, and the Conservative Party, will continue to have my unswerving support into and beyond the next general election.'
The YouGov poll found the Tories were on just 18 per cent, with Labour on 48 per cent.
In a crumb of comfort for Mr Sunak, Reform was down two points from recent highs on 13 per cent. The Lib Dems were on 9 per cent and Greens 7 per cent.
Lord Houchen's victory was one of the few bright spots for the Conservatives in an otherwise dismal set of local elections last week.
But he told BBC Radio Tees: 'Things don't look great for the Conservative Party at the moment.'
He said: 'There is still a way through but that way through is getting narrower by the day.'
Asked if Mr Sunak was to blame, Lord Houchen said: 'There's lots of people fighting with each other in the Conservative Party, there are defections going on and ultimately the public do not vote for parties who are not united and are not presenting a united front and also aren't talking to the public.
'If they're fighting with each other like rats in a sack instead of saying to the public 'this is what we're going to do for you', that doesn't win elections.
'Obviously, it ultimately lies with Rishi but there are lots of people that need to get their act together, stop messing about and start talking to the public about what they can offer them, rather than just fighting with each other.'
Mr Sunak was hit with the shock defection of Dover MP Natalie Elphicke to Labour just as PMQs began yesterday
