Is this the end for One Nation Conservatives?

Exodus of moderates ahead of the election should give Boris Johnson pause for thought, says Lizzy Buchan

Nicky Morgan has left, and with her goes a moderate voice in the Tory party (Getty)

Culture secretary Nicky Morgan’s surprise announcement that she would not seek re-election comes as a string of moderate Conservatives mark the end of their parliamentary careers.

Plenty of MPs from all sides are standing down ahead of the December election but the departure of senior Tory – or former Tory – figures such as Amber Rudd, Sir Nicholas Soames, Ken Clarke and David Lidington sounds like a death knell for One Nation Conservatism.

The term has been around for many years – but it gained significance earlier this year when dozens of Tory MPs formed a parliamentary caucus to push for what they described as liberal Conservative values.