TOM Watson has announced that he is stepping down as deputy leader of the Labour Party.
In a shock announcement, Watson said that he would not be seeking re-election as an MP in the forthcoming General Election.
In a letter to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he said that the time had come to “start a different kind of life”.
“The decision is personal, not political,” he said.
“The last few years have been among the most transformational of my personal life, second only to becoming a proud father of two beautiful children.
“I’ve become healthy for the first time and I intend to continue with this work in the years to come.”
“I’m as committed to Labour as ever. I will spend this election fighting for brilliant Labour candidates and a better future for our country.”
Watson has publicly clashed with Corbyn on a number of occasions and has been pushing for Labour to back staying in the EU in any future referendum. The party’s conference in Brighton in September was overshadowed by a botched bid to abolish his post.
READ MORE: Watson hits out at failed bid to oust him from post
But in his letter to Corbyn, the former MP for West Bromwich thanked the leader “for the decency and courtesy you have shown me over the last four years, even in difficult times”.
He added: “Our many shared interests are less well known than our political differences, but I will continue to devote myself to the things we often talk about” - including gambling regulation, stopping press intrusion, and campaigns on public health.”
In his reply, Corbyn said: “Few people have given as much to the Labour movement as you have and I know that many thousands of members and trade Unionists you have inspired ... over the years will be very sorry to see you go.”
Watson is the most prominent of a string of centrist Labour MPs to leave Labour – or quit parliament altogether – since Corbyn took over his party in 2016. Others have included Tristram Hunt and Andy Burnham, now metropolitan mayor of Manchester. Watson was elected deputy leader in 2015 – on the same day that Corbyn won his own ballot to run the party.
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