MP Jonathan Djanogly delivered a 46 word ‘goodbye to Huntingdon’ message today after the snap general election means he’s out sooner than he might have expected. The MP took to X to tell his 20,000 followers on the social media platform that “after 23 years, my service as MP for Huntingdon finishes tomorrow.
“It’s been an amazing journey and I remain forever thankful to my constituents for this tremendous opportunity.
“I am also so grateful to party members, friends and family who have supported me over the years.”
He has had plenty of time to ponder what next after losing his fight for re-selection in April of last year.
CambsNews was one of the first to report that the Conservative Party’s local selection committee voted 12-9 to reject him.
The MP appealed to the wider Conservative branch membership but they, too, confirmed they no longer wished for him to represent the constituency.
One political commentator observed at the time that “Huntingdon has been affected by boundary changes, and there is a perception that new intake areas may have influenced opinion against the MP”.
After 23 years, my service as MP for Huntingdon finishes tomorrow. It’s been an amazing journey and I remain forever thankful to my constituents for this tremendous opportunity. I am also so grateful to Party members, friends and family who have supported me over the years.
— Jonathan Djanogly (@JDjanogly) May 23, 2024
The MP’s aides insisted he would appeal the decision pointing out that after 22 years “serving the constituency” he had no alternative other than to keep fighting.
But Mr Djanogly came to accept his political career in Cambridgeshire was drawing to a close.
According to Conservative Home website the selection committee included six councillors from Cambridgeshire North West “who are all thought to have voted against Djanogly at the meeting”.
At the time it was reported by Tory sources that Mr Djanogly did “not want to stand elsewhere or seek adoption for the new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency that incorporate some of Huntingdon”.
Mr Djanogly has been involved in politics since the mid-1980s and became a London councillor in 1994.
In 1997, he stood for Parliament in the Labour held seat of Oxford East and was first elected to represent the Huntingdon constituency in 2001 and then re-elected in both 2005 and 2010.
From the formation of the Coalition Government in May 2010 until September 2012 he served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.
However, it was a story earlier last year of a housekeeper at his London home that may have sealed his fate after it was revealed that she had been given duties by his wife that included “detailed instructions about the rotation of avocados between the fruit bowl and the fridge”.
The woman was also instructed “about counting cutlery, about how to carry items from the coffee table to the sink, and about how to clean stools,” an employment tribunal judge said.
“The laundry instructions alone run to a page and a half and include instructions on setting alarms and sending texts about collection of dirty clothes.”
Two successful employment claims followed.
Mr Djanogly said: “Rebecca (his wife) accepts the resulting tribunal judgements and will be reviewing contractual terms with future employees.
“Neither tribunal judgement referred to mistreatment of employees, let alone modern-day slavery, and any suggestion that this occurred at any point is firmly denied”.
“I am aware of a story circulating in some parts of the press about my wife, Miss Rebecca Silk, and I wish to make clear that she is always concerned about the welfare of her employees.
“It is correct that Rebecca had contractual employment disputes with two individuals.”
Mr Djanogly’s Huntingdon seat has been merged with parts of Cambridgeshire North West to produce a new Huntingdon.
