FORMER TORY LEADERSHIP candidate Rory Stewart has said he has quit the Conservative Party and will stand down at the next general election.

The former Cabinet minister was among the 21 rebels who had the whip removed by Boris Johnson when he defied him in the Commons by backing a move designed to block a no-deal Brexit.

The Penrith and The Border MP ran against Johnson in the race to lead his party in June.

It’s been a great privilege to serve Penrith and The Border for the last ten years, so it is with sadness that I am announcing that I will be standing down at the next election, and that I have also resigned from the Conservative Party.

— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) October 4, 2019

“It’s been a great privilege to serve Penrith and The Border for the last ten years, so it is with sadness that I am announcing that I will be standing down at the next election, and that I have also resigned from the Conservative Party,” he tweeted.

Stewart’s former Cabinet colleague, Amber Rudd, tweeted: “What a loss to politics. An outstanding MP & Minister. One of the strongest speakers in Parliament. Principled, patient, thoughtful. I feel certain he’ll be back.”