The Communities Secretary, 56, who has served under four Conservative Prime Ministers since 2015, confirmed he will not contest his Surrey Heath seat on July 4.
In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted on X, Andrea Leadsom said she had come to the decision after 'careful reflection' but did not go into detail about her reasons for quitting.
After an extraordinary day of rumours, the usually cautious premier stepped into the pouring rain in Downing Street and took a massive gamble by announcing a summer contest.
