Melton MP stands down from Shadow Cabinet after 'health scare'

Edward Argar was elected to the newly-configured Melton & Syston constituency in July last year, maintaining the Conservatives’ stranglehold on the parliamentary seat.

He had been serving as Shadow health secretary but today told Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, that he was standing down from the role, on the day she is reshuffling her front bench team.

Mr Argar said Mrs Badenoch retained his full support but that he was taking a step back due to health issues.

In a letter to the leader, he wrote: “As you and the Chief Whip are aware, and I am grateful for the kindess you both showed, I had a health scare earlier this summer, and remain grateful to the doctors and hospital staff who looked after me in the course of that a previous health issue from last year, which has continued to impact me, was found, I have been well looked after, but have also listened to what the doctors said to me, and have listened to my family and have concluded that lightening my Front-Bench workload over the coming months, in order to complete my recovery and fully restore my health in that period, is the sensible approach.”

Mr Argar has served on the front bench for seven years, working also as Minister of State for Health during the Covid pandemic and as a Justice Minister.

Thanking him for his service, Mrs Badenoch wrote back to him to say she was ‘very sorry’ he was standing down but ‘I strongly agree that you must put your health first’.