Tory MP Louise Mensch quits for new life in US

THE high-profile Tory MP Louise Mensch is to quit the House of Commons sparking a difficult by-election for Prime Mnister David Cameron.

The back-bencher, who shot to prominence as a member of the culture, media and sport select committee which investigated the phone-hacking scandal, said she was “devastated” but it was a “necessary

decision”.

The move will give rise to a by-election in Corby, Northamptonshire, a tight marginal that will prove a major test for David Cameron’s Conservatives.

Mrs Mensch, who was elected in 2010, had been tipped for

advancement at Westminster. But her husband, Peter Mensch, manager of rock band Metallica, lives in New York and she has been forced to divide her time between the UK and US.

In her resignation letter to the Prime Minister, the mother of three said: “As you know, I have been struggling for some time to find the best outcome for my family life, and have decided, in order to keep us together, to move to New York.

“With the greatest regret, I am thus resigning as a Member of Parliament.

“It is only through your

personal intervention, delivered quietly and without fanfare, that I have been able to manage my duties for this long.”

Mrs Mensch said letting her to work from her constituency on Thursdays and Fridays had allowed her to spend more time with her children.

“Unfortunately, it has not proved to be enough. I am very sorry that … I have been unable to make the balancing act work for our family,” she said.

The Prime Minister replied that he was aware it had been “a particularly difficult period for you and your family”.

“With that in mind, it is with enormous regret that I accept your resignation as the Member of Parliament for Corby and East Northamptonshire, a seat that had been Labour for 13 years

before you,” he said.

Mr Cameron said Mrs Mensch had been an “inspiring” MP and hinted that she had been in line for a role in the government.

“It goes without saying that I had wished to see you serve for longer and at a more senior level,” he said.

“But you have made a tremendous contribution in the short period you have served in the House of Commons, and have much to be very proud of.”

Mrs Mensch tweeted: “I am devastated by the necessary decision that I have had to announce today. It has been an incredible honour serving the people of Corby. It has, however, proved impossible to balance the needs of my family.”

Mr Cameron, whose party is at a low ebb in the polls against a resurgent Labour, faces a stiff challenge to retain her Corby seat in the by-election.

Mrs Mensch – Louise Bagshawe before her marriage last year – won by only 1,951 votes in the 2010 general election. Labour had held the seat since 1997.

Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate, Andy Sawford, said: “Louise Mensch was obviously struggling to balance being an MP with her family commitments. I respect her for the honest way she talked about this.

“During the by-election we will focus on the two years of Tory policies that have taken the country back into recession.This will be a tough election, but we are determined to hold this government to account by showing the disastrous impact of their polices.”