Daventry MP will stand down before the next General Election

Northern Ireland Secretary and MP for Daventry, Chris Heaton-Harris, has said he will not stand at the next general election.

The Tory MP, who has represented the Northamptonshire constituency since 2010, said on X that it has been "an honour and a privilege to serve." He becomes the latest in a long line of Tory MPs who have announced they will not fight for their seat again in the next election. More than 60 Tory MPs are stepping aside, including some high profile names and former cabinet ministers like Ben Wallce, Sajid Javid, Daminic Raab and Kwasi Kwarteng.

In March, former Prime Minister Theresa May, 67, said she too had taken the "difficult decision" to quit the Commons after 27 years representing her Maidenhead constituency.

Mr Heaton-Harris has been the Northern Ireland secretary since September 2022, describing it as the "best job in the Cabinet".

He published his resignation letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak online.

It read: "Working with you I helped negotiate and deliver the Windsor Framework which both solved many of the major practical issues created by the Northern Ireland Protocol, put in place as we left the EU, and helped reset our countries' relationship with our European neighbours.

"Then, after long and detailed negotiations within Northern Ireland, we produced the command paper Safeguarding the Union, which resulted in the return of Stormont and devolved government to serve the people of Northern Ireland."

He added: "I strongly believe the conditions now exist for Northern Ireland to thrive", and that he wants to remain as Northern Ireland secretary until the next election as "there are still a number of pieces of unfinished business I wish to complete and I love the people, place and job".

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