Today the former Environment Secretary John Gummer announces that he will retire from the Commons as MP for Suffolk Coastal at the general election. He explains to the East Anglian Daily Times that he wants to dedicate himself to campaigning full-time on environmental issues:
““Copenhagen was a total disaster. Telephone conversations with colleagues throughout Europe convinced me that international action is needed if the calamity of climate change is to be avoided. My Suffolk Coastal constituency has 74 miles of coastline. That makes me doubly determined to do everything I can to stop a calamity happening. I feel passionately about the subject. This is the danger that most faces us and unless something is done, the world will be in real trouble.
“But if I am to concentrate fully on the environment, I cannot devote the time I would wish to my constituency. I fully intended to serve one more term as MP for Suffolk Coastal, but Copenhagen changed all that. I sincerely hope and believe that David Cameron will become Prime Minister next year with a large majority. However, if the Conservatives end up with just a small majority in Commons, the pressure will be on all his backbenchers to be full-time MPs, especially in the first year when legislation has to be carried.
“I realised I could not do both jobs well and therefore I have reluctantly told my constituency association that it must look for a new candidate.”
An MP in London between 1970 and 1974, he has represented his patch of Suffolk continuously since 1979, and follows fellow Suffolk MPs Sir Michael Lord and Richard Spring to become the latest of the county's Tory MPs to be standing down - with rumours persisting that Tim Yeo in South Suffolk may yet follow suit too.
Mr Gummer will bequeath a notional majority of 9,674 over Labour to his successor as Conservative candidate at the general election, with his son, Ben, already running in the neighbouring Ipswich constituency.
By announcing his decision before the end of the year, he has ensured that the Suffolk Coastal Conservatives will not have a shortlist of three candidates imposed upon them by CCHQ. Will there be any more retirements announced before tomorrow night?
Update:
Also speaking to the EADT, association chairman James Butler indicates a preference for a local candidate:
“John has been a magnificent
servant of Suffolk and this constituency for 30 years. But
circumstances change and I fully understand and appreciate the reason
why he is leaving. I have called a meeting of officers for next
week and we will put in place the selection process.
"But I sincerely hope that the list of candidates includes a lot of local people who wish to be considered. I do not mind men or women but we need to be able to select someone from Suffolk if that is what we have to do... There are a lot of people locally who would make excellent MPs and I am sure we should at least be able to interview them along with those on the national list."
Jonathan Isaby