With several more Labour MPs in marginal seats having announced their intention to retire at the election in recent days, below is a list of the 46 Labour and Lib Dem MPs (so far) in the most winnable seats for the Conservatives who have opted not to defend their seats at the general election.
There are of course some who have retired on grounds of old age or ill health and several who are not standing again in the wake of "Expenses-gate", but one has to wonder how many have merely concluded that they are staring defeat in the face and want to avoid that spectre.
I have restricted the list to the Tories' top 200 target seats (the party needs to gain 117 seats to get a majority of one in Parliament) and the numbers refer to where they appear, on paper, on that target list (based on the Rallings and Thrasher figures). I am grateful to Anthony Wells at UK Polling Report for his comprehensive list of MPs who are retiring.
NB For the purpose of making the list comprehensive, I have included those whose health I understand to have dictated their decision, but I have marked them with an asterisk and make clear that I am in no way seeking to cast aspersions on their motives.
The full list is as follows:
20. *Paul Keetch (LD) – Hereford and South Herefordshire
21. *Kali Mountford – Colne Valley
24. Christine McCafferty – Calder Valley
31. *John Smith – Vale of Glamorgan
35. Tom Levitt – High Peak
37. Betty Williams – Aberconwy
44. Janet Dean – Burton
45. Des Turner – Brighton Kemptown
46. David Chaytor – Bury North
53. Mark Todd – Derbyshire South
54. Doug Naysmith – Bristol North West
60. Michael Wills – Swindon North
72. Barbara Follett – Stevenage
83. Ian Pearson – Dudley South
85. Helen Southworth – Warrington South
86. Matthew Taylor (LD) – Truro and Falmouth
87. Ben Chapman – Wirral South
94. Bill Olner – Nuneaton
100. Ann Cryer – Keighley
107. Colin Burgon – Elmet and Rothwell
108. Martin Salter – Reading West
111. Paul Truswell – Pudsey
112. Colin Breed (LD) – Cornwall South East
114. Ruth Kelly – Bolton West
117. Claire Curtis-Thomas – Sefton Central
121. John Hutton – Barrow and Furness
122. Mark Oaten (LD) – Winchester
125. Andrew Mackinlay – Thurrock
127. David Lepper – Brighton Pavilion
132. Eric Martlew – Carlisle
136. Greg Pope – Hyndburn
142. Margaret Moran – Luton South
150. Liz Blackman – Erewash
152. Paddy Tipping – Sherwood
156. Phil Willis (LD) – Harrogate and Knaresborough
166. Lynne Jones – Birmingham Selly Oak
181. Alan Simpson – Nottingham South
188. Martyn Jones – Clwyd South
198. *Tony Wright – Cannock Chase
200. Beverley Hughes – Stretford and Urmston
In addition, there are five further Labour MPs who have opted not to contest seats which, after boundary changes, are notionally deemed to be Conservative marginals which they would effectively have to win back.
John Grogan – Selby and Ainsty
Stephen Hesford – Wirral West
Bob Marshall-Andrews – Rochester and Strood
Rudi Vis – Finchley and Golders Green
Derek Wyatt – Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Jonathan Isaby
