Another senior National MP is quitting politics.
From Stuff:
National MP and former Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has called time on Parliament, sparking a by-election in his Auckland seat.
The party’s number six has been offered a significant opportunity to run a private sector health company.
Coleman, the MP for the safe National electorate of Northcote, has announced he’s resigning from politics and is expected to make his valedictory speech in the next couple of weeks.
And it seems this is another case of unrequited ambition:
Coleman was tipped to run again for the leadership when English announced he was leaving politics earlier this year.
However he never joined the race, which ended up with five contenders, and when National leader Simon Bridges announced his reshuffle Coleman was promoted to number six on the list – up from seven – and retained his health and sport and recreation portfolios.
It’s understood Coleman was lining himself up for the finance role and was disappointed after the reshuffle, prompting his decision to look for other opportunities.
National won the by election by 6,200 last election. Shanan Halbert did well to shave Coleman’s majority. This could be an interesting by election.
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