Rishi Sunak has been struck by another ministerial resignation as energy minister Graham Stuart has announced he is standing down from his cabinet role.
The MP for Beverley and Holderness said he is "proud to have served" in Sunak's Government but is stepping aside to focus on local issues.
Stuart, who has served in the Government for eight years, said he will "fully support” the Prime Minister from the back benches.
He said he plans to focus on issues such as his Make Our Roads Safer campaign, broadband delivery and increasing the number of defibrillators in his constituency.
Rishi Sunak has been struck by another ministerial resignation as energy minister Graham Stuart has announced he is standing down from his cabinet role
PA
Stuart said he also hopes to focus on improving access to dentistry and healthcare and working with farmers on flooding.
In a statement, the Tory MP said: “I’m proud to have served in the Government for most of the past eight years, but now it’s time to focus on Beverley and Holderness.
"I’m proud to have achieved much over the past 18 years, from rock armour at Withernsea to saving East Riding Community Hospital, installing life-saving defibrillators in rural communities and slashing fares on the Humber Bridge.
"I’m looking forward to working with communities to make our roads safer, helping the council take full advantage of the opportunities brought by devolution, pressing the case for York to Hull Rail and improving healthcare in Beverley and Holderness."
Following the resignation, No10 said: "The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments: Justin Tomlinson MP to be a Minister of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Mims Davies MP to be a Minister of State (Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work) in the Department for Work and Pensions.
"The Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP has also been given the honorific title of Deputy Foreign Secretary."
The resignation comes as Sunak battles devastating approval ratings, with the Tories trailing more than 20 points behind Labour.
A recent MRP poll from YouGov showed that the party could suffer a bigger landslide defeat than that seen by John Major in 1997, with as many as 11 cabinet ministers braced to lose their seats.
More than 63 Tory MPs have announced they are standing down at the next election, including former prime minister Theresa May, former Chancellor Sajid Javid, former Environment Secretary George Eustice, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and former Justice Secretary Dominic Raab.
In addition to his role as energy and net zero minister, Stuart also served in the Foreign Office, the Department for International Trade and as an assistant whip to the Treasury.
This comes a month after former armed forces minister James Heappey announced he was leaving the Cabinet and standing down at the next general election.
Robert Halfon also resigned as skills, apprenticeships and higher education minister.
Halfon, MP for Harlow, in a letter to the Prime Minister wrote: "I feel that it is time for me to step down at the forthcoming General Election, and in doing so, to resign as a Minister in your Government."
While Heappey wrote on social media: "I’ve loved every minute as MinAF in this incredible department.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
"Our Armed Forces & MOD civil servants are the very best of us. Representing them in Parliament & around the world over last 4.5 years has been an amazing privilege.
"From the first COBR on COVID-19 to the most recent Ukraine Donor Contact Group last week in Ramstein via Kabul, Kyiv, Kosovo, Khartoum and the Southern Red Sea. It’s been an incredibly busy four and a half years."