MoD: Armed forces minister James Heappey to stand down at next general election in "painful decision" - why

James Heappey, MP for the Wells constituency in Somerset, has decided to leave his post for personal reasons, according to Sky News. Mr Heappey posted a letter to the Conservative association on social media.

It read: "After much reflection, I am afraid I have taken the painful decision not to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming general election. A great deal has changed in my life over the last few years and I have concluded that now is the time to step away from politics, prioritise my family, and pursue a different career." Mr Heappey added that he will maintain his support for prime minister Rishi Sunak in his ministerial position until he steps aside.

The announcement comes amid growing concern about the state of the Royal Navy, British Army and RAF. Little was mentioned about further funding in last week's Spring budget, with some believing the UK defence budget is actually decreasing - refuted by the Ministry of Defence.

A source close to Mr Heappey told Sky News that while he believes more funding should be made available, it did not impact his decision to resign. According to the profile on his website, Mr Heappey reached the rank of Major in the British Army.

He has previously served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Ireland and Kenya as part of a 10 year career in the Rifles, it added. The 43-year-old, of Nailsea, was previously tipped to succeed former defence secretary Ben Wallace following his resignation last year. The post was taken up by Grant Shapps, who was previously the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy and secretary of state for transport, among other roles.