Crewe & Nantwich MP Kieran Mullan has announced he will NOT stand for the constituency at the next General Election.
The Conservative MP had previously announced he would, but today posted his change of heart on his Facebook page.
He said the recent boundary changes to his constituency, and his current personal life led to the decision.
He said he was “proud” and believes he has made “lasting change” since winning the seat in the December 2019 election.
But he admits he found the focus on the swing seat difficult and says he has spent too much time “correcting misinformation”.
Dr Mullan said: “This has been a big decision for me to take.
“I have made lasting change through things like funding for Leighton Hospital and securing a Town Deal for Crewe.
“Of course despite the wins there has also been difficult disappointments as well like the GBR HQ and HS2.
“I’ve also learnt that in a swing seat like Crewe and Nantwich, modern politics means there is an almost 24/7 focus on the press and social media, where re-election depends too much on telling everyone what you have achieved or correcting misinformation rather than just getting the job done.
“This never came naturally to me. As a doctor, the job is the job and you just have to get on with it.
“Two things have happened recently that have brought me to this decision after expecting I would be staying.
“Firstly, the boundary changes mean a huge difference to the seat I applied for, making it even more of a swing seat in the long term. Which comes with even more of the relentless party political campaigning.
“Secondly, changes in my personal life make the associated uncertainty that comes with that even more difficult. It isn’t just me I have to think about.
“I know Labour and others will try and make political capital out of this.
“That is just the job of the opposition.
“I would just gently remind everyone that Gwyneth Dunwoody was the MP for Exeter before she became MP for Crewe and Nantwich. They didn’t complain about that.
“So take it all with a pinch of salt. This is the job. This is politics.
“I wish every success to whomever succeeds me. There is a lot that has started that needs finishing and so much potential still to be capitalised on.
“I am confident Crewe & Nantwich Conservatives will pick a candidate who understands that.”
Reaction has been mixed to Dr Mullan’s announcement.
Many supporters say he has helped out communities.
But others claim he turned his back on the constituency months ago when he attempted and failed to be elected as candidate in neighbouring Eddisbury/Chester ward – seen as a safer Tory seat.
It’s hard to say goodbye to someone who never arrived.
The good doctor is absolutely delusional , failed to get any funding for Crewe and tried his best to jump ship and still calls his time a sucess.
As a doctor I fear he would be the same and someone going in for an ingrowing toenail and dying on the table would be a sucess as he cured the ingrowing toenail.
Tell us Tom Shaw, what has he done to warrant your endorsement? What has he done at all? He has been utterly invisible locally except for media photo-ops. Genuinely, what’s he done? We know what he hasn’t done for the local area and local people. So come on, please enlighten us.
His failure to ensure that our area received fair and reasonable funding to compensate for the loss of HS2 will never be forgotten. Choosing to avoid confrontation with the Party rather than doing what was right is unforgivable. Let’s not forget he also wanted to stand for Timpson seat indicated he was interested in securing a “safe seat” rather than fight for his constituency. He has left Crewe in a worse place than what he inherited
I thought that was a done deal a while back. He was bailing out for a safe seat in Chester. He has done little for Crewe especially over HS2 fiasco.
Well I think he did a good job, he may have had criticism but then he did have a proper job before politics unlike many others from parties of all flavours who think they have the right to hang on, at least he has the courage to leave gracefully many don’t and are still cluttering up our lives