Controversial ex-Labour MP John Woodcock announces he won’t stand in general election

Labour-turned-independent MP John Woodcock has announced that he will not stand in the forthcoming general election.

Woodcock and the Spectator magazine’s assistant editor Isabel Hardman are expecting a baby, and made the announcement regarding the election through a letter to the MP’s Barrow and Furness constituents.

Woodcock quit Labour last year, having been critical of party leader Jeremy Corbyn. The MP had been sitting as an independent since having the Labour whip withdrawn in April 2018 pending investigation of an allegation of sexual harassment. He denies allegations over supposedly inappropriate texts and emails to a former female staff member between 2014 and 2016.

Woodcock has previously been linked to arms giant BAE Systems, has voted in favour of military interventions abroad, and has opposed holding Saudi Arabia to account for alleged abuses in Yemen. He has also faced criticism for echoing the propaganda of alleged war criminal Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – the president of Turkey.

Featured image and additional content via Press Association