SIR Nicholas Winterton has called time on a 38-year Parliamentary career after announcing he will step down as Macclesfield’s MP at the next general election.
In a letter to Conservative leader David Cameron on Monday (May 25), the Tory stalwart said he and Congleton MP wife Lady Ann, could no longer maintain the hectic pace of modern political life. No mention was made of the latest expenses controversy dogging the pair over a £11,400 food claim and £1,100 on items including a toilet brush holder.
It is the end of a political era in Macclesfield, which Sir Nick has represented – often colourfully – since his election at the third attempt in 1971.
He is the tenth longest serving MP currently sitting, putting him in a select group of Parliamentary stalwarts including John Prescott and Ken Clarke.
He had been reselected in 2007 as Macclesfield’s Conservative candidate.
The grandfather-of-eight, who is 71, was in Devon with his family yesterday (Tuesday, May 26) and unavailable for comment, after choosing a Bank Holiday to announce the shock news.
On the streets yesterday, Maxonians did not appear too surprised, and the Macclesfield Conservative Association was quick to deny Sir Nick was pushed – either by its members or the Tory leadership. Association chairman David Freear said: "I don’t think he was pushed at all."
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