Local MP Jesse Norman has announced, via Twitter, that he has decided against standing for the Tory leadership.

He said that he has been given several public endorsements but also received about 600 or so emails, calls and texts from constituents. He said: “Two of them encouraged me to engage in novel arts of physical contortionism. Virtually every other one urged me for or against standing, with passion and concern for our country and the state of politics.”

He added, in the Twitter thread, that these constituents also set out what they expect from all the candidates for the leadership; firstly that they should have a ‘view of the UK and the world rooted in political principle’, secondly, an answer to how to handle Brexit and finally a coherent policy platform.

Mr Norman then gave details of his policies which he said should ‘reach out to and energise every part of the UK’.