Conservative MP for Kingswood to step down at next election

Chris Skidmore has said he will not fight the next election

Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore became the latest Conservative MP to announce he will not be standing in the next election.

Mr Skidmore, 41, said "there has been no greater honour in my life" than representing the constituency in Parliament for the past 12 years.

When boundaries change, the Kingswood constituency will cease to exist.

The MP said in a statement at the weekend he did not wish to stand elsewhere.

Mr Skidmore was born and grew up in Kingswood, which sits on the eastern edge of Bristol.

"I do not wish to fight another constituency elsewhere in the region or the country, especially with a very young family who deserve to see more of their father in their lives," he said.

"I would like to thank local constituents for putting their trust and faith in me to serve as their local MP."

Mr Skidmore signed the UK's net zero by 2050 commitment into law in 2019 while serving as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation in Theresa May's government.

For the past three months he has been leading a review of the government's delivery of its net zero targets.

The MP said that outside of Parliament, he hoped to continue to focus on tackling global warming.

"It is clear to me that net zero and tackling climate change will be the greatest challenge, yet also the greatest opportunity, of our generation," he said.

"It is this opportunity - to demonstrate how we must protect our environment and climate for the future, at the same time as delivering a new clean and sustainable energy system that shifts us away from fossil fuels - that I now wish to devote my attention to."

He added: "Rather than step aside, I hope that in the future I can step up to continue to play my own small part in helping to deliver on the energy transition that the world needs."

Mr Skidmore's announcement follows that of Dehenna Davison, the Conservative MP for Bishop Auckland.

The 29-year-old was elected as the County Durham constituency's first Tory MP in 2019.

Elsewhere, senior Conservative MP William Wragg, vice-chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, has said he will not run again.

Conservatives Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North, and Gary Streeter, MP for South West Devon, also announced last week they intended to stand down.