Steve Brine has announced he will leave the House of Commons at the next General Election.
The MP for Winchester & Chandler’s Ford, who was first elected in 2010, said it was time to consider a “new chapter” in his life.
In a letter to the Chairman of Winchester Conservative Association, Matthew Pellereau, he said;
“When I first entered Parliament I had in my mind to serve for twenty years - or four General Elections - whichever came first.
“This wasn’t a hard and fast rule, and I don’t think anyone could have predicted the events of the past thirteen years, but it feels like the right time now, for both myself and the family.
“Going forward, I feel I can pursue some of the issues I care about - in health and perhaps elsewhere - outside Parliament as well as within.
“During my time as our MP, Susie and I have had two wonderful children and I’ve put my heart and soul into doing the job. My team and I have done tens of thousands of pieces of casework to-date and that quietly remains the bedrock of my work for the people I represent. But that has all come at a price; being away several nights every week, working at pace across this vast constituency when I am home plus every weekend and just the sheer intensity of this role in the modern age.”
He added; “We always think our children need us most when they’re little, and that is of course true in the most basic caring sense, but I’ve learnt they need us more as they get older. I hope, in time, to be around a little more; both for them but also for Susie who has supported me every step of the way and without whom I could never have done any of this.”
Mr Brine said he was “very proud” to have helped secure “significant new investment” at Winchester Hospital which, just this week, announced £40m of fresh capital investment to develop an elective hub and orthopaedic outpatient facility at the RHCH.
He spoke warmly of his enduring friendship with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and said of Rishi Sunak; “Our Prime Minister is not only a local boy, but he is also a good friend. The U.K. has a world-class leader in Rishi Sunak who is a thoroughly decent person perfectly suited to the job. He will always have my total support and I hope people will recognise that before it’s too late and before they vote in a way that lets in a Labour Government that this area, in particular, cannot afford and will not like at all.”
The MP said he would serve his constituents across Winchester and Chandler’s Ford “until the very last day of this current Parliament” and added “until then it’s business as usual”.
Pictured; Steve Brine with children - Emily and William - in his Ministerial office at the Department of Health.
