FORMER cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles has joined the list of MPs who have said they will not be standing again at the General Election.
Sir Eric, who lived in Keighley when he started his political career, announced on Twitter that he would not be the Tory candidate for his Essex seat of Brentwood and Ongar.
He wrote: “Looking forward to #GE2017 as a canvasser, not a candidate.”
Sir Eric was educated Greenhead Grammar School – now University Academy Keighley – and Leeds Polytechnic.
He went on to become leader of Bradford Council, and worked as a consultant in employment practice before becoming Conservative MP for Conservative MP for Brentwood and Ongar in 1992.
He has represented the constituency ever since, and served as Communities and Local Government Secretary under David Cameron
Since 2015 Sir Eric has been the Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Champion, and currently leads the government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives.
He is also a trustee of charities in his constituency, including Brentwood Theatre. He lives in the town with his wife Irene.
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