Former Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth has announced that he’ll be stepping down as MP for Coventry North East at the next election. Ainsworth has been the MP for the seat since 1992. He told the Coventry Telegraph:
“It has been an enormous privilege to represent a seat in Coventry, the city where I was born and raised, and I want to thank my constituents and the very many people who have supported me over time.
“We are now past the half way point in this Parliament and I believe it is time to let my local party know my decision to allow them to look for a new candidate.
“I wish them well and promise to help whoever they choose in any way that I can.
“I will continue to work for my constituents and represent them to the best of my ability for the remainder of this Parliament.
“I am particularly proud to have represented our armed forces in Government and to have produced the “Service Personnel Command Paper” that raised the level of compensation for those injured on operations.
“I am also proud of the many equipment improvements we introduced, including Vallon mine detection, increasing the number of armoured vehicles and introducing the Warthog protected patrol vehicle.”
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