VVD parliamentarian Christianne van der Wal is standing down as an MP, saying she is “not in the right place”.

Van der Wal, minister for nature and nitrogen in the previous government and a known opponent of her party’s cabinet with the far right, said it had not been an easy decision to leave.

“No matter how honourable the profession of MP is, I am not in the right place,” she said. “So I have decided to step down.”

Van der Wal was fifth on the VVD’s list of parliamentary candidates in the November 2023 election but had stated she was not available for a potential ministerial role in the new cabinet with the far-right PVV.

The cabinet has since scrapped many of her plans for reducing nitrogen-based pollution, although no real alternatives have yet been put in place. As an MP, she has focused on defence issues.

Party leader Dilan Yesilgöz thanked Van der Wal on social media “for everything you have done for us throughout the years.”