Newcastle's Aaron Bell says he's no longer standing at the General Election

Former Conservative MP Aaron Bell, who represented Newcastle-under-Lyme, has announced "with a very heavy heart" that he will not be standing at the General Election.

In an open letter posted on Facebook, Mr Bell said: "It is with a very heavy heart that I have decided not to contest the forthcoming General Election, for personal and family reasons.

"Being an MP has taken a considerable toll on me."

Mr Bell said he was proud to have served under Rishi Sunak's government, and thanked his wife and three children for their support and "sacrifices".

Mr Bell has served his constituency since December 2019 and has acted as an assistant whip since November 2023.

Here's the full statement published to facebook:

An open letter from Aaron Bell

'It is with a very heavy heart that I have decided not to contest the forthcoming General Election, for personal and family reasons. Being an MP has taken a considerable toll on me.

I am proud of my record as Newcastle-under-Lyme's MP. During Covid, we helped hundreds of constituents and delivered the fastest vaccine rollout in the world. I have secured £35m of funding to regenerate our town centre and the Borough, which we can now see being spent.

I am proud of the work we have done for individual constituents, even changing the law on behalf of one.

And most of all I am proud of standing up for Newcastle against Walley's Quarry, which has been such a blight on our community. The operator has tried to bully and sue me, but I have never given up fighting for my constituents. It is perhaps fitting that my last contribution as a backbench MP was to ask the Prime Minister to get a grip on the Environment Agency.

I am also proud of serving in Rishi Sunak's government, which has restored economic stability and now has a bold plan to give us all the secure future we deserve.

I would like to thank the local Conservative Association for putting their faith in me back in 2019, and for lending me their support ever since. I would also like to thank all my members of staff past and present, both in Newcastle and Westminster, for their tireless work in helping me to respond to constituency casework.

And I would like to thank the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme, both for giving me the incredible honour of election, and for all their support and kindness over the last four and a half years.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Emily, and my three children. They have had to make so many sacrifices - I could not have done this without them.

Sincerely, Aaron Bell.'

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