Louise Mensch quits as MP

A by-election is looming in the Midlands as the novelist-turned-MP Louise Mensch announces she is to step down as the member of Parliament for Corby.

In a letter to the Prime Minister she expressed her deep regret at having to resign but explained that her priority is to be there for her family, who have decided to move to New York.

She married Peter Mensch a year ago, who is the manager of rock band Metallica. She has three children.

Here she is earlier on this year telling James Murdoch she has to leave the Leveson Inquiry early to pick up her children:

Ms Mensh has amassed a huge personal following on Twitter during her time as the MP for Corby. She embraced the limelight with regular appearances on TV gamesshows such as 'Have I got News for You'.

She served on the Culture Committee which has been involved in high profile inquiries into the phone hacking scandal and the power of the press.

Before being elected as a Tory 'A'Lister MP in 2010 she became famous as a chick-lit author under her original name as Louise Bagshawe.

The Prime Minister paid tribute in his letter accepting her resignation saying she had served the people of Corby and East Northamptonshire well. He said she had been a 'truly inspiring MP'

Corby was in Labour hands for 13 years before 2010 and thluise Mensch holds it by a slim majority. Labour has already selected Andy Sawford to fight the seat in 2015 - the son of former Kettering MP Phil Sawford.

As Louise Mensch says farewell many will mourn the loss in the House of Commons of an outspoken midlands MP unafraid to tell it like it is.

She had been tipped for promotion but instead will be saying goodbye to frontline politics - for now.

She had been tipped for promotion but instead will be saying goodbye to frontline politics - for now.