Owen Paterson quits consultancy work as potential candidates pledge to avoid second jobs
Two candidates have confirmed their interest in becoming the next MP for North Shropshire - as Owen Paterson announced he would be stepping down from consultancy work.
Mr Paterson announced his resignation from the seat he has held for 24 years on Thursday after he was found to have broken parliamentary rules by lobbying for companies which between them paid him more than £100,000 a year.
The resignation of Mr Paterson, in the wake of dismay over the Government's handling of his proposed suspension, means a by-election will take place within the next three months.
And two potential candidates from the local area have both pledged not to take a second job.
The seat has been a Tory stronghold – held by the Conservative party for more than 100 years – but the nature of Mr Paterson's departure from politics has sparked hope among opposition parties that they can make significant gains.
Suggestions of the main political parties standing aside for an 'anti-sleaze' candidate were mooted but quickly cast aside as the Labour Party and Lib Dems both confirmed they would put up a candidate.
The Conservative Party has said local party members will select a candidate for the constituency in due course. The date for the by-election has not yet been confirmed but is likely to be in mid-December.
Labour's former North Shropshire candidate, Graeme Currie, has confirmed he would like the opportunity to contest the seat but the decision on candidates is expected to be made at 'national level with local input'.
Green Party councillor Duncan Kerr, who has also previously contested the seat, has thrown his hat in the ring for selection by his party.
Both have pledged to take no second job or consultancy if they were to become MP for North Shropshire – an issue likely to become central to the campaign in the wake of Mr Paterson's resignation.
Mr Currie said: "I would relish the opportunity to try and stand up for Shropshire and to try and restore trust and integrity in public service. I would relish the chance to do that but it is not my decision."
He added: "I completely pledge that I would have no other job. If you cannot live on an MP's salary you should not be standing as an MP. Being an MP is such a huge honour and the responsibility is to your constituents, and that is what he should have been doing."
Councillor Kerr said: "I have stood in two or three elections and I will certainly put my name forward."
He added: "I do not think the candidates should take other paid employment. We need people who are fully committed to the area."
Reform UK, which used to be The Brexit Party, has also said it will stand a candidate in the by-election.
Following his resignation, Mr Paterson offered his thanks to those who have offered him support, and said he would now be focusing on his family and work on suicide prevention.
Writing on Twitter, he said: "Thank you to the many people who have sent their kind wishes to me and my family this week. At this difficult time, I will be stepping aside from my current consultancy work to focus on my family and suicide prevention."
The former cabinet minister's wife Rose committed suicide last year in the midst of the investigation into Mr Paterson's lobbying for Randox and Lynn's Country Foods - firms which both paid him around £500 per hour on top of his £82,000 salary.
Mr Paterson's resignation is now also official, the House of Commons has confirmed, under an arcane procedure for when an MP stands down mid-term.
There is no official process for an MP to resign from the Commons - instead they must take two formal and unpaid roles which immediately disqualify them from being an MP.
As such Mr Paterson is now Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, thus confirming a by-election will take place.
In a statement, the Treasury said: "The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed the Rt Hon Owen William Paterson to be Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead."
The date for the by-election will be set once the local returning officer receives a writ from the House of Commons.
A spokesman for Shropshire Council explained: "Once this is received the notice of election is published from which the formal 25 working days election period begins to the date of the poll.
"Until the formal writ is moved to start the election process, we cannot say when the by election for the North Shropshire seat will be held."
