Evaluating the UK Parliament’s career transition scheme for departing MPs

Abstract Leaving Parliament is not easy. The way that Members of Parliament (MPs) exit Parliament matters because it can deter others from being an MP. The UK Parliament introduced a career transition scheme (CTS) after the 2024 general election to aid this transition. In this paper, I make a theoretical contribution to the literature on exiting political office by extending a typology developed for ex-leaders to cover departing MPs more generally and make an empirical contribution by providing the first detailed empirical study into the CTS and creating an original and unique dataset on the CTS. I interviewed sixteen ex-MPs eligible for the CTS and asked whether the CTS provided them with appropriate support. Overall, the CTS did provide effective support. There was a desire among interviewees for tailored support to reflect the unique challenges faced by ex-MPs.