Bognor and Littlehampton MP Nick Gibb steps down as Schools Minister
Nick Gibb MP announced on X that he will also quit as an MP before the next general election
Longstanding schools minister and West Sussex MP Nick Gibb has announced he is standing down from the role amid Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's reshuffle.
The veteran minister, who has been the Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton in West Sussex for 26 years, said he has stepped down from the Government and will quit as an MP before the next general election.
Mr Gibb said he had been "discussing taking up a diplomatic role" after the general election and had asked Mr Sunak if he could step down at the reshuffle and he had agreed.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Gibb said: "It has been a privilege to serve as schools minister for four prime ministers.
"I campaigned for Rishi last summer and I remain an enthusiastic supporter of the Prime Minister's leadership.
Mr Gibb, who has served as schools minister for the majority of the past decade, has overseen curriculum and exam reforms during his tenure and has been an advocate of phonics as a method of teaching children to read.
Mr Gibb, who has been an MP since 1997, said on Monday: "Over the last few weeks I have been discussing taking up a diplomatic role after the general election.
"To enable me to do so I have asked the Prime Minister if I can step down from the Government at the reshuffle and he has agreed."
Mr Gibb was first appointed as school standards minister in 2010, before being removed from the post two years later.
He was then brought back as minister for school standards in 2014 and remained in the role until the reshuffle in September 2021 when he was sacked by former prime minister Boris Johnson.
But Mr Gibb returned to the Department for Education (DfE) in October 2022 during Mr Sunak's ministerial shake-up.
In a letter to Jacky Pendleton, chairwoman of the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Conservative Association, Mr Gibb said: "Although I love being schools minister, and my passion for ensuring that every child gets the best possible education will remain with me until my dying day, I have also decided that now is the right time for me to step down as a minister and the Prime Minister has agreed that I can do so at the next reshuffle."
He added that he was concerned that "growing cynicism and hostility" to those who stand for election and hold office was "damaging" their ability to come together to solve problems.