Former mayor Andy Street rules out MP election bid

Former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has announced he will not stand as an MP in the general election.

The Conservative candidate lost a tight contest to Labour's Richard Parker in the mayoral election in May.

Since then, Mr Street said he had thought "long and hard" about whether to try to stand for Parliament on 4 July.

"Ultimately however I have decided against it," he said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He admitted the role of an MP "has just never been for me" and that he would find it "extremely difficult to step back" from being an executive leader.

Before his loss, Mr Street had been mayor of the West Midlands since 2017. Previous to his political career he had a successful time in retail, and was managing director of John Lewis and Partners.

While he admitted in his statement many would assume he was "destined to go back into business", Mr Street said he felt he still could contribute as a leader in public life.

"I look forward to exploring opportunities to do just that," he added.