12 June 2023 , 10:42
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Boris Johnson is about to get a new job so he can quit as an MP.
The former Prime Minister, like any member of the Commons, cannot just resign their seat.
Under an archaic process, they must instead be appointed to one of two roles which formally disqualify them from sitting as MPs.
So, while on Friday night he effectively flounced out of Parliament, he technically remains an MP until such time as the Chancellor of the Exchequer - who today is Mr Johnson's 2019 Tory leadership rival - hands him one of two titles:.
Either he will become Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
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As Parliament’s website says: “The Steward and Bailiffs of the Chiltern Hundreds and of the Manor of Northstead were positions traditionally paid for by the Crown.
Jeremy Hunt will formally make the announcement (PA)“In modern times they are unpaid, formal titles that are applied for when an MP needs to disqualify themselves from the Commons.
“An elected MP has no right to resign: unless they die or are expelled they must become disqualified if they wish to retire before the end of a Parliament.
“By law, taking on one of these titles immediately bars a person from being an MP.”
In reality Mr Johnson might hold this title for a matter of minutes because his resignation on Friday night triggered that of a key ally on Saturday: Selby and Ainsty’s Tory MP Nigel Adams.
Nadine Dorries had already announced she was quitting on Friday afternoon.
Emails confirming which soon-to-be-former MP lands which particular position could start dropping in journalists’ inboxes within hours.
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