Having served in parliament since 2010, the Harlow MP expressed his belief that it was “time for me to step down” and that “political life, while fulfilling, has its ups and downs”.
In his letter of resignation to the prime minister, Mr. Halfon, a Tory candidate for nearly 25 years, quoted the wizard Gandalf from Lord of the Rings: “My time is over: it is no longer my task to set things to rights, nor to help folk to do so.”
You will not want assistance, my dear friends; you are all so great that I no longer feel any concern for any of you.”
In response, Rishi Sunak expressed his regret at hearing of his choice and said, “I respect your reasons for doing so.”
On the same day that James Heappey, the minister of the armed forces, formally resigned from his position in government, Mr. Halfon, who has also held the positions of chair of the education select committee and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, made his statement.
Leo Docherty, MP for Aldershot in Hampshire and a former junior foreign office minister who held the position of Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans under Boris Johnson, will succeed him.
