Yes, he was probably going to be punted at the next election so it wouldn't surprise me if there's some sort of strategy behind it. He's suddenly made himself much more visible and 'taken a stand'. Which he never bothered to do with much else, from what I can recall of his voting record on Brexit stuff and gay marriage.
It reminds me of The Thick of It, when Dan Miller resigns to take the fall for something he didn't do and everyone is annoyed he got there first as they knew in a year or two he would get his reward 