Jamieson to step down
Transport Minister and MP for Plymouth Devonport, David Jamieson, has announced that he will be stepping down at the next election.
Mr Jamieson said he felt that his time in Parliament was coming to a natural end.
In an open letter to his constituents on his website, Mr Jamieson said that: “After a long period of careful reflection I feel that now is a good time for a change, for me, the local party and for my constituents.”
When he was elected 13 years ago he felt there was “much to do in Devonport after years of Tory neglect.
“Now unemployment is at a record low with Plymouth having one of the greatest falls in unemployment in the country,” he said, “communities are revived, crime is down, our schools are a credit to our city and jobs in the Dockyard are going up.”
As such, Mr Jamieson said it was a “good time for a new person to take the new challenges forward”.
He added that he remained “entirely committed” to both the Labour Party and the Prime Minister and would continue to campaign for a third term in office.
Mr Jamieson is currently a junior Transport Minister with responsibility for roads. Originally a teacher, Mr Jamieson worked in the whips office from Labour’s election in 1997 before moving to the Department for Transport in 2001.
Plymouth Devonport is one of Labour’s safest seats, with a majority of over 13,000. Competition is sure to be hot to replace Mr Jamieson for the next parliament.
