Former minister and Clwyd West MP David Jones to stand down

Former Welsh Secretary and Brexit minister David Jones is to stand down at the next general election.

The Clwyd West MP said at the age of 67 it is time for him to step aside to allow the area's constituency association to pick a successor.

Mr Jones was elected in 2005. The pro-Brexit MP had played a significant role in the Welsh Vote Leave campaign in 2016.

He said it was the "greatest honour of my life" to serve as the area's MP.

Mr Jones opposed Theresa May's withdrawal agreement, and was one of many Tory party MPs who repeatedly rebelled against her. He never voted for the deal.

The Leaver said he wished "to devote more of my time to my family, who have been a huge support to me over so many years and who have - like all MPs' families - had to cope with the inevitable pressures imposed by Parliamentary life".

Mr Jones served as a Welsh Secretary under David Cameron for two years, his tenure ending in 2014.

During his time in the cabinet he clashed with then-Welsh Conservative assembly leader Andrew RT Davies over an eventually-scrapped restriction to income tax powers for the assembly.

He later served as a Brexit minister during Theresa May's administration.