Nigel Adams: Conservative MP says he backs party despite quitting

A Conservative MP who triggered a by-election by quitting Parliament has said he will do his "utmost" to help the party win a general election.

On Saturday, Nigel Adams, MP for North Yorkshire's Selby and Ainsty, announced he would immediately stand down.

Mr Adams, an ally of Boris Johnson, had previously said he would not seek re-election.

Despite his decision he said he remained "committed" to the Conservative Party.

In a post on LinkedIn, Mr Adams said: "I want to make clear that I remain committed to the Conservative Party and support this Government in its work to continue delivering on the issues that matter most to the British people."

He said he had left Parliament to return to a private sector career.

"It is essential that the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak win the next election and I will do my utmost to ensure that happens."

He said he was "looking forward" to supporting the party's candidate at the by-election prompted by his resignation.

No date has yet been set for a by-election.

Mr Johnson quit as an MP on Friday after he was sent an advanced copy of the Privileges Committee report into whether he misled Parliament about lockdown parties.

It came just hours after his resignation honours list was published, without the names of key supporters, including Mr Adams, Nadine Dorries and Sir Alok Sharma.

Ms Dorries also announced she was standing down, triggering a by-election in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission, which vets peerages, confirmed on Sunday it did not support eight nominees submitted by Mr Johnson.

A spokeswoman said it was a "point of principle" for the commission that those approved for a Lords appointment could not be sitting MPs.

Mr Adams has held Selby and Ainsty since the seat was created in 2010 and has held a number of ministerial posts under Mr Johnson.

He had a majority of 20,137 over the Labour candidate at the 2019 general election.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or send video here.