Sir Bob Neill: Former Tory minister to stand down at next general election

A former Tory minister has announced he will stand down as an MP at the next election to spend more time with his wife, who has suffered a stroke.

Sir Bob Neill, 71, was first elected in 2006, and served as a junior minister in the coalition government.

The Bromley and Chislehurst MP chairs the Commons justice committee.

In a statement, Sir Bob said his wife "has always been there to support me, and I want to do the same for her and our family".

Ann-Louise, who suffered a stroke in 2019, has "been fighting bravely to recover" ever since, he said.

"It is a tough road for her, but we are very positive about it. Even so, I have concluded that it is right for me to spend more time supporting her."

In the statement, he praised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for "giving the country the honest, diligent and pragmatic leadership that our country deserves", and said he would continue to work for his constituents until he stands down.

Sir Bob has previously served as a Tory party vice-chairman, and has chaired the Commons justice committee for the last nine years.

At the last general election in December 2019, he won his Bromley and Chislehurst seat by a majority of nearly 11,000 over Labour.

Last month he warned the Commons that legislating to overturn the convictions of Post Office workers caught up in the Horizon scandal would be "unprecedented".

Sir Bob is the latest in a series of Conservative MPs who have announced their plans to step down at the next general election.

Earlier this week, justice minister Mike Freer said he would do so after receiving death threats and an alleged arson attack on his constituency office.