Armed forces minister to quit role and stand down as MP at next election

Armed forces minister James Heappey is to leave his role in government at the end of the month and quit as an MP at the next general election.

Mr Heappey, Tory MP for Wells in Somerset, is reportedly stepping down to prioritise his family and pursue a different career.

The Ministry of Defence said it would not be commenting.

The Times, who first broke the story, quoted an anonymous Tory MP who said the veteran had been on “resignation watch” after telling colleagues privately that he was unhappy about the level of defence spending.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s recent budget contained no new money for defence despite multiple ministers publicly calling for an increase to spending.

Mr Heappey, who served in the army in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland before joining parliament, said in a letter published online that he had made a “painful decision” to stand down as a candidate in the upcoming general election.

He continued: “I have concluded that now is the time to step away from politics, prioritise my family, and pursue a different career”.

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