News came at the end of this week that Ian Pearson, the Treasury minister, will not be defending his notional Labour majority of 3,222 at the general election in Dudley South.
The Birmingham Post notes that he has cited the long periods he spent away from home for the recent breakdown of his marriage and in a letter to local Labour members he said that it was "time to move on and do other things, including getting a better balance between my working and personal life".
Mr Pearson's decision to step down will be a further boost to the Conservative candidate, Chris Kelly (pictured), who has been in place since September 2007. He needs a swing of 4.5% to gain the seat at the coming general election and you can read more about him and his campaign on his website.
Jonathan Isaby
