DEHENNA Davison, MP for the Bishop Auckland constituency, has today announced that she will be standing down at the next election.
Ms Davison, who made history by becoming the first ever Conservative MP for the area in 2019, says she wants to devote more time to life outside of politics, especially with her family. The 29-year-old has been often hailed as a rising star of the party.
She said: “For my whole adult life, I’ve dedicated the vast majority of my time to politics, and to help make people’s lives better. But, to be frank, it has meant I haven’t had anything like a normal life for a twenty-something.
“I’ve worked on, managed, and stood in so many election campaigns, and, since being elected in 2019, I’ve given my all to being an MP. As well as supporting constituents with their individual challenges, I’ve fought hard to bring £70million of new Government investment to the Bishop Auckland constituency, to see plans put in place to breathe new life into our high streets and create new leisure facilities locally, and to finally get the much needed Toft Hill Bypass and Whorlton Bridge repairs in the pipeline.
“And I’ve campaigned on wider issues I feel passionately about, particularly on raising awareness of the dangers of one punch assaults.
“I will always be humbled to have had the opportunity to serve as a Member of Parliament. But now the time feels right for me to devote more of my attention to life outside politics - mainly to my family, and helping support them as they’ve helped support me.
“That’s why I won’t be standing in the next General Election.
“Just to reassure, until the election comes, I absolutely won’t be checking out. I will continue to serve my constituents with the same gusto and dedication right until the day when I hand the baton onto the next person who will have the honour of representing the amazing people of Bishop Auckland.”
Ms Davison became MP by beating Labour's Helen Goodman by a majority of nearly 8,000.
In Parliament, she has campaigned to reform sentencing for one punch assaults, co-founded the Free-Market Forum and successfully campaigning to scrap MP pay rises after plans were suggested by IPSA during the pandemic.
She added: “I will always be grateful to the Conservative Party as a whole, and to all the individual members who have supported me, for giving a young, working class lass from Sheffield the opportunity to serve as an MP. And I will always be passionate about politics as a means to create meaningful, lasting and positive change.
"For now, I’m not sure what my future beyond MP life looks like, but, when the time comes, I’m really excited to find out.”
Cllr Luke Allan Holmes, chairman of Bishop Auckland Conservatives said: “On behalf of the Bishop Auckland Conservative Association I would like to thank Dehenna for the tireless work she has done to support our communities throughout the Bishop Auckland constituency.
“Since her election in 2019 she has been instrumental in securing over £70 million of government funding for our area and has given put our area the kind of national spotlight that would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago.
“She is a credit to our party and constituency. While it is naturally disappointing to lose her, we wholeheartedly support her decision and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”
Cllr Richard Bell, deputy leader at Durham County Council and leader of the Conservative Group said: “I am saddened to learn that Dehenna is not standing again as our MP. She has been an excellent MP for Bishop Auckland and very supportive of the council. She has decided to pursue interests other than the all-consuming politics, and I wish her very well for the future.”
The Conservatives have not announced who their candidate will be for for the constituency.
Labour has put forward Sam Rushworth as its parliamentary candidate for Bishop Auckland.
