15% of Labour MPs stepping down at the next general election

Currently, 30 Labour MPs (15%) are due to step down at the next general election. A Labour source is reported to have told The Observer that this is due to Ed Miliband’s leadership.

A source told the newspaper “There’s not enough excitement about Ed. Some worry about him losing the general election, and some worry about him winning it.”

This speculation comes after veteran MPs David Blunkett and Frank Dobson announced recently that they would be stepping down in 2015. And there have been rumblings that change might be on the cards for other Labour MPs. For instance, Jim Murphy, current Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, might be considering a move to Scotland to pursue a career Holyrood.

However, it’s misguided to assume that Miliband is the reason that each of the 30 Labour MPs have decided to leave Parliament. Particularly as it’s clear that this is not a trend confined to the Labour party – so far 11% of Tory MPs have decided to step down next year. And some have speculated by 2015 that a quarter of female Tory MPs will have resigned.