Alistair Jack confirms he will step down in next election

Alistair Jack said it was «a great honor and privilege» for him to represent his constituents in the House of Commons. Photo: Victoria Jones/Pennsylvania

Scottish Secretary Alistair Jack will retire at the next general election, but he ruled out a by-election by accepting a peerage offered on Boris Johnson's list of honors at his resignation.

MP Dumfries and Galloway confirmed that he would give up his seat in the election, and it is understood that he would subsequently like to join the House of Lords.

«I intend to continue» as MP and Scottish Secretary until the election, he said. , adding that it was «a great honor and privilege to represent his constituents in the Commons.»

Mr Jack said he had informed Mr Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak of his intention to retire on elections, when they all appointed him Scottish Secretary in their cabinets in addition to his local Conservative Association.

A close ally of Mr. Johnson, he was nominated for a peerage on the Former Prime Minister's Retired Honors List, along with former Minister of Culture Nadine Dorris, Nigel Adams and Alok Sharma, President of COP26.

Unconstitutional

All four were supposed to remain MPs until the next election and then move on to the Lords, thus avoiding four by-elections that could be a major headache for the Prime Minister.

However, the Times reported that the House of Lords Appointments Commission, which reviews peers, said it would be constitutionally unlawful to do so. elections so they can accept their peers, but Mr. Jack has made it clear that he won't.

He told ITV Border's «Introducing the Border»: «I'm not going to the House of Lords and I'm not doing a by-election» .

When asked if he would move to the Lords after the election, he said: «Who knows?»

«I want to be honest with you»,

Mr. Jack said: “I have made it very clear that I will not run in the next general election.

“I said that to Boris Johnson. I said that to Liz Truss when she appointed me Secretary of State for Scotland.

“And I said that to Rishi Sunak when he also appointed me Secretary of State for Scotland.

Mhairi Black, deputy leader of the SNP in Westminster, said to deal with Rishi Sunak to delay his peerage in order to avoid another Tory defeat in a by-election.» with you, I will not run in the next general election.» But they took that into account and gave me the privilege of continuing to serve.”

Mr Jack said his local party would find a candidate in the elections “in the next couple of months”.

He won the seat with a majority of just 1,805 in the 2019 contest, with the SNP coming in second.

Mhairi Black, deputy leader of the SNP in Westminster, said: «Aleister Jack should reveal the truth about whether he made a dirty underhanded deal with Rishi Sunak to delay his peerage to avoid another Tory defeat in a by-election.»