“I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function,” claimed Boris Johnson on his resignation as prime minister in 2022, standing outside Downing Street for the last time. Adding that he would be “gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific… like Cincinnatus I am returning to my plough.”
But the classics-loving Johnson, who departed as an MP the next year, did not entirely stop working. He has picked up several jobs: as a newspaper columnist for the Daily Mail, a public speaker who travels the world, and is also said to be working on his memoirs — all lucrative gigs.
And now that Rishi Sunak and the Tories have been booted out, bringing an end to 14 years of Conservative rule, a generation of MPs, from Michael Gove to Lizz Truss, will be joining Johnson in leaving the Commons, and moving on to other things.
Due to the sudden election, they are having to find jobs quicker than they imagined. The Financial Times recently reported that a senior partner at one Magic Circle law firm said he had recently received a meeting request from a minister, but it became clear after five minutes that the minister was just looking for a job.
Dozens are eyeing their future careers — considering options in the media, business and, of course, reality TV shows. But what will the most high-profile MPs actually do next? Here, we run down the likely next moves for the Tories who once ran the country.
Michael Gove
Many eyes are on Michael Gove’s next moves. One of the chief architects of Brexit, the 56-year-old has also often been described as one of our most effective Cabinet ministers over the past 15 years. A recent newspaper profile said that he would be going on Strictly Come Dancing, leading ex-Labour shadow chancellor and former Strictly contestant Ed Balls to advise him that he should “throw yourself into it”.
Another rumour doing the rounds is that Gove could return to journalism — he worked for The Times for many years as a leader writer and columnist before becoming an MP. Gove even interviewed Donald Trump for The Times in 2017, and has been tipped as a presenter on Times Radio. Some have suggested that his next move could be to edit the rival Telegraph, whose future is currently up in the air, after a UAE takeover fell through, leaving various would-be owners circling.
With his history of cult appearances on the nation’s dancefloors, could Gove tour nightclubs, too?
Theresa May
Announcing her “challenging decision” to step down as an MP in March, 67-year-old former prime minister Theresa May said she planned next to “focus on causes close to her heart”. They include her work on the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Despite some difficult speeches during her time in No 10, May is also a big draw on the after-dinner speaking circuit. Early last year, it was estimated that she had made £2.5 million since standing down as PM in 2019.
May also recently admitted that her husband Philip had counted 275 cookery books in their kitchen. She may have more time to use them in her retirement from the Commons, along with going on walks in the Alps, a favourite holiday destination.
Dominic Raab
Dominic Raab was once a high flier in the Tory Government, but had to resign as deputy prime minister in April last year after a bullying inquiry found he acted in an "intimidating" and "aggressive" way towards civil servants.
In the time since, Raab has been looking for new work, and earlier this year he became a “senior strategic adviser on global affairs” to Appian Capital Advisory, a private equity firm that focuses on the mining sector. There, he’s on a reported salary of £118,000 a year. Before that, Raab used recruitment consultancy Kea to help him find work, and also signed up with Chartwell Speakers, who find their clients public appearance work.
Sajid Javid
Former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid was one of the nation’s higher-paid people before he entered the political arena, as a managing director at Deutsche Bank. Javid played a key role in bringing down Boris Johnson, but withdrew from the 2022 leadership race after he fell behind Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Only 54, he now looks set to resume his lucrative career.
Since leaving the Cabinet, Javid has already got a role working for Centricus, a London-based finance group. He recently doubled his hours and pay, and is now on £50,000 a month for 20 hours’ work — a cool £2,500 an hour. Javid also carries out speaking engagements, and guest-hosted a radio programme on LBC. He reportedly previously held talks with investment house Pimco about working there too.
Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock became a household name during the pandemic as the health secretary, but had a spectacular fall from grace over his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo. In the aftermath, he split from his wife, wrote a pandemic diary book, and went on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, as well as SAS Who Dares Wins. His stint on I’m A Celeb earned him £400,000, but also lost him the Tory whip. Hancock then said he would step down as MP for West Suffolk, after some in his local Conservative Association argued he was "not fit to represent" them.
After Hancock leaves the Commons, he will next be working in tech, an aide tells the Standard. When he was culture secretary, Hancock started an app, which started to be used ironically by journalists. Hancock, who is dyslexic, also has two unpaid roles in charities he founded: the Centre for Neurodiversity and the Accessible Learning Foundation Ltd. He also has a shareholding in Topwood Limited, a “shredding, storage and security systems” firm.
Nadhim Zahawi
"Parting is such sweet sorrow," said Nadhim Zahawi, the one-time Covid vaccines minister and (very briefly) chancellor, declaring he wouldn’t stand in Stratford-on-Avon at the next election, despite his pride at being the MP for William Shakespeare. Now Zahawi has some literary ambitions of his own: he’s bringing out a memoir later this year, called The Boy from Baghdad: My Journey from Waziriyah to Westminster. Last year, he took a job as a director with Right-wing think tank, the Adam Smith Institute.
Zahawi came to the UK as a refugee from Iraq at the age of 11, and set up the successful polling company YouGov before moving into politics. However he was forced out as Tory chairman in early 2023 after an ethics inquiry found he had failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his taxes. He also played himself in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office this year – could more acting beckon?
Kwasi Kwarteng
Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng lasted just 38 days in the job for Liz Truss, who didn’t last much longer herself. He had previously become the UK's first black Conservative cabinet minister in 2021. Before joining the Commons, Kwarteng got a PhD in political history, and worked as a newspaper columnist and financial analyst. While in Parliament, he has published historical books, a trade to which he could return.
Looking ahead, Kwarteng has already started making some cash. This January, he was paid £35,000 for 20 hours of consultancy work for Fortescue Future Industries, a green technology and energy company. He also does speaking engagements, including £27,000 for one talk in Switzerland. He also totted up at least £17,000 for appearance fees on GB News, at around £1,000 an interview, as well as £2,000 from TalkTV.
