Northampton North MP Michael Ellis to stand down

Sir Michael was born in Northampton and has always lived and worked there, having been a barrister for 17 years before being first elected to Parliament

The Conservative MP for Northampton North, Michael Ellis, is to stand down ahead of the general election.

The former attorney general has represented the constituency since 2010, and won the seat with a majority of 5,500 in 2019.

In a letter to Jaime Lane, chairman of Northampton North Conservatives, he said it had been "an extremely difficult decision".

Sir Michael described "serving the people of his home town" as "the honour of his life".

On Wednesday the prime minister set 4 July as the date for the next general election.

Sir Michael is the second Conservative Northamptonshire MP to announce he is not seeking re-election, after Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris said he had no plans to contest his seat earlier this month.

Sir Michael served in several other prominent ministerial positions, including solicitor general, minister for state for transport and paymaster general.

He said: "I think records indicate I am the first Northampton MP of any part to have been appointed to Cabinet in 100 years."

Major boundary changes will see his seat take in Northampton town centre from the Northampton South constituency.

"I feel now is the time for a new candidate to seek the nomination to have the honour to represent the seat under the new boundaries," he said.