Michael Jack, the much-respected MP for Fylde, has unexpectedly announced he will be standing down at the next General Election.
His seat will be hugely attractive to those candidates still in search of a seat. It has a projected Tory majority of 10,008.
Mr Jack told the Blackpool Gazette:
"By the next General Election, I will have served for 22 or 23 years, which is a long stint. For the time you are in office, you are a guest and you hold your seat as the steward. I believe in the view that guests shouldn't out-stay their welcome and I think the time should come now where I should give up this seat and someone else should come along and take over the mantle from me. There are other things I would like to be able to do and I think you need some good years to enjoy the rest of your life, in terms of what you want to do. And I want time to spend time with my wife Alison. People forget that Parliamentary wives are deprived of their husbands for long periods of time. It has been a very difficult decision to have to make. I have loved every minute of doing the job and my commitment to the job will be undiminished until the next election."
