Keith Vaz chooses to retire from the Commons

Keith Vaz has decided to retire from the House of Commons and not stand again as Labour’s candidate in Leicester East, amid pressure from the top of the party for him to quit.

Vaz had been issued with a six-month suspension from parliament after he was found to have “expressed willingness” to buy cocaine, and it was concluded that he did not cooperate with the standards commission investigation.

Although he was reselected as a candidate by Labour members in his constituency, top figures such as Diane Abbott had urged him to consider his position. The national executive committee (NEC) may have chosen not to endorse his candidacy.

Vaz issued a statement announcing his decision, which read: “I have decided to retire after completing 32 years as the Member of Parliament for Leicester East. In that time I have won eight general elections.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to serve my constituency since I came to the city in 1985. I want to thank the people of Leicester East for their absolute loyalty and support. Leicester and especially the people of Leicester East will always be in my heart.”

In response to the news, Jeremy Corbyn described Vaz as having “made a substantial and significant contribution to public life” as he “helped to pave the way for more BAME people to become involved in politics”.

Vaz was first elected in 1987 as one of the first ever Asian MPs. He served as chair of the home affairs committee from 2007 to 2016, at which point he resigned following Sunday Mirror reports that he had engaged in unprotected sexual activity with male prostitutes.

Parliamentary candidate applications are expected to open soon for Leicester East, which Vaz won at the last general election with a substantial majority of 22,428 votes. As a safe seat, it will be highly sought after.