Victoria Atkins not running for Tory leadership

A Lincolnshire MP has ruled herself out of the running to become the next leader of the Conservative party.

Victoria Atkins, who represents Louth and Horncastle, revealed her decision on social media.

She was first elected as an MP in 2015 and is the shadow secretary for health and social care.

Rishi Sunak, current leader of the party, announced plans to step down following the General Election earlier this month, with his successor expected to be appointed on 2 November.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Atkins said she would not run for the leadership and instead wants to help the next leader to "rebuild and renew" the party.

"I look forward to the candidates setting out their visions over the coming weeks for the future of our country and our party", she added.

The decision by Ms Atkins not to run comes days after she was told she had behaved "abominably" during a debate in the commons.

Nominations for the Conservative leadership contest officially opened earlier and will close on Monday 29 August.

Conservative MPs will then vote for their preferred candidate ahead of their party's conference in September and a final ballot will be held in October.

Follow BBC Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to e[email protected]