Sir Graham Brady has announced he will be stepping down at the next election after over 25 years as Member of Parliament for Altrincham & Sale West.
Brady, who was elected following the retirement of Fergus Montgomery in 1997, will stand down after what he says has been a “fascinating and fulfilling chapter of my life”.
In a statement released to Altrincham Today, he said: “At the time of the next election, I will have served twenty-seven years as the Member of Parliament for Altrincham & Sale West winning seven General Elections and becoming the longest serving member in the constituency’s history. Representing my home town in the House of Commons has been an immense privilege for which I will always be grateful.
“My colleagues in the House of Commons have also given me the unique opportunity of chairing the 1922 Committee for longer than anyone else in its one hundred year history. I will continue to serve until the end of the parliament, if they want me to.
“I will continue to do everything I can to support the Conservative cause and Rishi Sunak. He is bringing both stability and vision as Prime Minister.
“In 2024, I will campaign locally and nationally for the return of a Conservative government, that is in the national interest and in the interests of my constituents. I will continue to work hard in the service of the residents of Altrincham & Sale West, offering my judgment and experience until the end of the parliament.
“I have decided to bring this fascinating and fulfilling chapter of my life to a close while I am young enough to pursue other opportunities and interests, so I will not be standing at the next election.”
Born in Salford, the 55-year-old was educated at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and elected to Parliamant as a 29-year-old, the youngest Conservative MP elected in 1997.
He held a series of positions in the Tories’ shadow cabinet of the 2000s before resigning as Shadow Minister for Europe in protest at then leader David Cameron’s opposition to grammar schools.
He went on to become Chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs in 2010, going on to play a very visible role in the election of subsequent leaders Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and current PM Rishi Sunak.
He briefly stepped down as Chairman in 2019 to run for leader of the party himself, but was subsequently re-elected and is currently the longest-ever holder of the role.
Married with two children, Brady was a prominent critic of lockdowns during the Covid pandemic.
In the last general election, in 2019, he secured 26,311 votes and a majority of 6,139 over Labour’s Andrew Western, who won 20,172 votes and is now the MP for neighbouring constituency Stretford and Urmston.
