From politics to picking peonies for veteran MP

Philip Dunne worked in business before politics

The former MP for Ludlow in Shropshire has handed in his parliamentary work pass and cleared out his office after 19 years in the House of Commons.

The Conservative MP announced last year that he would stand down at the next general election, which the prime minister called earlier this month.

The 65-year-old said it was the honour of a lifetime to serve the area he grew up in.

His former Ludlow seat, which has been renamed South Shropshire, is guaranteed a new MP.

Philip Dunne won his first parliamentary election in 2005 with a majority of 2,027 votes.

His vote share increased during all four subsequent elections, winning 64% of the vote in 2019.

Dunne had two ministerial roles in government, serving as the minister for defence procurement from 2012 to 2016 and a minister of state for health for 18 months from 2016.

For the past six years he has been the chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee.

Among other crops to be picked on the family farm is a field of peonies

All MPs stopped representing their constituencies on Thursday, when Parliament was dissolved, officially kicking off the general election period.

"In one sense there is a degree of liberation, knowing I'm not going into an election campaign," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"But on the other hand there's now a void in my life, because I haven't worked out what I'm going to do next.

"It was certainly very emotional leaving the House of Commons ... there was a frog in my throat when I shook hands with the deputy speaker.

"I felt pretty nostalgic, pretty emotional and pretty sad, because it has been the honour of my life to represent my home area."

Dunne said he wanted to spend more time on his family farm, which he took responsibility for in 1987.

"It's peonies season and we have a field full that need picking and getting out of the door, so that's what I'll be doing for the next couple of weeks," he said.

The candidates standing in South Shropshire include:

• Stuart Anderson for the Conservative Party

• Matthew Green for the Liberal Democrats

• Michael Guest for the Social Democratic Party

• Charles Shackerley-Bennett for Reform UK

• Simon Thomson for the Labour Party

• Hilary Wendt for the Green Party

A full list of candidates will be published on the BBC website when nominations close on Friday 7 June.

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