The Times is reporting that former Cabinet Minister James Purnell will quit his Stalybridge and Hyde seat at the general election.
He is the latest in a line of senior Blairites to leave the Commons and in fact I speculated here back in November that Purnell might join the queue of ex-cheerleaders for Tony Blair who would depart the Commons at the election. He only entered the Commons in 2001.
Other senior Blairites quitting include Geoff Hoon, Patricia Hewittt, Stephen Byers, Alan Milburn, John Reid and Ruth Kelly.
In December, Rob Adlard was selected to contest Stalybridge and Hyde for the Conservatives. He is chairman of the Longendale ward Conservatives in the constituency and would need a swing of 12% to overturn the notional Labour majority of 8,455.
Jonathan Isaby
