Labour MP Tristram Hunt yesterday sensationally quit politics to become director of London’s V&A Museum, triggering a by-election in the heart of Brexit country.
The TV historian’s decision to abandon his Commons career means a tough battle for Labour against Ukip in his Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency.
The city recorded one of the highest votes for leaving the European Union in last year’s referendum.
Hunt had a majority of just 5,179 over Ukip, which recorded a 22.7% vote share in 2015 amid a turnout of less than 50%. The Conservatives were 33 votes behind Ukip, making the constituency a three-way marginal where anything could happen.
In his resignation letter to local members Hunt, 42, said he had “no desire to rock the boat” or make a political point by quitting. “As I enter a new role as a public servant, I will be leaving partisan politics behind me and will work impartially as a museum director,” he wrote.
“I am sorry to put you, the party and the people of Stoke-on-Trent through a by-election. I have no desire to rock the boat now and anyone who interprets my decision to leave in that way is just plain wrong.”
However, he also spoke of “frustration” about Labour’s defeat and its response “to the social, cultural and economic forces which have rocked mainstream social democratic and socialist parties from India to Greece to America”.
The departure of another talented young MP is a blow for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn following the resignation of Jamie Reed to work in the nuclear industry.
Fellow Labour MPs Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram are planning their own departures to become mayors, sparking talk of an exodus.
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage crowed: “Tristram Hunt’s resignation from Stoke will be followed by many others. Labour is doomed.”
A spokesman for Corbyn said: “Jeremy would like to thank Tristram for his service to the people of Stoke-on-Trent Central and to the Labour Party. Jeremy wishes him well in his future pursuits at the V&A.”
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, who has been at odds with Corbyn, said he was “disappointed to see a talented MP like Tristram step down”.
Labour MPs were predicting that more Blairites and members of the marooned 2010 intake will cash in their seats for careers outside Parliament. Labour members in Reed’s Copeland seat were yesterday interviewing candidates for the by-election there.
Stoke-on-Trent Central looks like a tougher contest. Labour’s traditional support there has plunged since the constituency was created in 1950. Stoke voted Leave by 65.7% in the referendum, which MPs say reflects the disenchantment of traditional working class supporters.
Hunt will take up his new duties at the V&A this year. He said: “I have loved the V&A since I was a boy. Today it is a global leader in its unrivalled collections, special exhibitions, academic research and visitor experience.”
V&A chairman Nicholas Coleridge called Hunt an “articulate leader on culture”, adding: “I greatly look forward to working with him here.”