Robert Halfon has quit as higher education minister in the UK government, saying he will step down as a Conservative MP at the next general election.
Mr Halfon, who represents the Essex town of Harlow, joins more than 60 Tory MPs in announcing their departure from the House of Commons ahead of a poll that the party is expected to lose heavily.
He had overseen English universities as minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education since November 2022, using his tenure to push his zeal for degree apprenticeships on the sector.
In a letter to prime minister Rishi Sunak, published on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Halfon says that “after well over two decades as the Harlow parliamentary candidate and as MP, I feel that it is time for me to step down at the forthcoming general election and, in doing so, to resign as a minister in your government”.
