Armed forces minister James Heappey will not stand at next election

Armed forces minister James Heappey has announced he will not be standing as a candidate at the next general election.

First elected as MP for Wells in 2015, Mr Heappey said the decision to not stand was "painful".

In a letter, he said it was time "to step away from politics, prioritise my family, and pursue a different career".

He has become the 62nd Conservative MP to confirm they will not stand in the next general election.

The prime minister's official spokesman said Mr Heappey would be "greatly missed in Parliament".

Mr Heappey became the armed forces minister in 2020 and previously served as parliamentary private secretary to the prime minister under Boris Johnson.

In a letter to his local Conservative association, he thanked his constituents saying it was the "greatest honour" of his life to serve the Wells area for nine years.

The Wells MP said he would continue to support Rishi Sunak as prime minister and assured his "full commitment" until the end of this parliament.

The prime minister's official spokesman said Mr Heappey was "a dedicated minister and a committed advocate for our armed forces".

Asked whether Mr Heappey had raised concerns about the level of defence spending ahead of an announcement on Friday, the spokesman said: "He is continuing in his role as minister for the armed forces and any changes to ministerial positions will be confirmed in the usual way.

"But I don't believe there is any suggestion that this is linked to defence spending. You can see what he has said around stepping down in order to prioritise his family and pursue a new career.

"And indeed, the minister has been closely involved in implementing the government's defence agenda, including major investments in new equipment and capabilities for our armed forces."

Boundary changes mean Mr Heappey would have been standing in the newly-named Wells and Mendip Hills constituency.

Electoral Calculus currently predicts the Liberal Democrats have a 56% change of winning the new seat, compared to 38% for the Conservatives.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and, X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.