What makes a politician decide to not stand again?

Dame Andrea Leadsom is not standing again the South Northamptonshire constituency

More than 120 MPs are stepping down at the upcoming general election, and many constituencies will have a new MP, regardless of which party wins, with several candidates standing for the first time.

What makes a politician, whose career has been in public service, walk away?

'A cloud lifting off me'

Dame Andrea has held cabinet positions and was also a prominent Leave campaigner in the EU referendum

Conservative Dame Andrea Leadsom was the MP for South Northamptonshire from 2010, but will not be standing this time.

She was also been a minister and stood for the leadership of the party against Theresa May in 2016.

The 61-year-old says: "Fourteen years in frontline politics is a long time."

She described it as "exhausting and you actually get pretty sick of the hate and the trolling".

Dame Andrea says: "I just want to be able to enjoy my life and not have people shouting at me and hating me all the time.

"My youngest [child] was six when I became an MP, she is now 20 and they all loved the fact that I've done it, but they're all really pleased for me [standing down].

"I've been waking up every day with the sense of a cloud lifting off me, but it has been at the same time the greatest privilege."

Andrea Leadsom was made a Dame in 2021

She says social media has increased the amount of abuse MPs get.

Dame Andreas says: "When I was first an MP in 2010, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, barely existed. I would receive handwritten letters and a few emails, now it's 24/7 abuse.

"The vast majority of MPs, of all parties, are decent, honest, hardworking people doing a great job for their constituencies."

She says she will now "really focus on my passion for the early years, which has been my passion for 27 years".

'You don't just walk away from politics'

Sally Keeble stood most recently for election in 2019 and also spoke at the Labour Party conference in 2023

Sally Keeble was the Labour Northampton North MP from 1997 until she lost the seat in 2010. She then stood again three more times, unsuccessfully, but will not contest this general election.

She says she "served quite a long time" as an MP.

The 72-year-old says: "Of course it was disruptive for my family because of the long hours and all the travelling, but both of [my children] are sort of politically involved.

"They want to make a difference . . . that's what politics is all about.

"I always found that the public were incredibly nice and they were really nice to me after they booted me out of office and have continued to be so."

Sally Keeble was on a select committee which looked into the 1998 floods in Northampton

She says although there was not the social media abuse when she was an MP "there was always an element of risk and confrontation" in politics.

"But I think by and large in this country we are extremely blessed in being able to stand up and stand for elections in, say what we believe in and campaigned for it," she says.

She says one of the reasons she is not standing this time around is so a new generation can get involved.

Ms Keeble says politicians need to "make sure they rebuild their relationships with young people".

"Because I think if we lose young people to the political space, it becomes an arena for sort of grumpy old people, and I don't think that's very good for our democracy."

She adds: "I do look back with pride [on being an MP], but I would just say that you don't just walk away from politics, and it's one of the reasons I've kept on standing."

Ms Keeble is now an author has written three novels, including one part-set in Westminster.