Sheffield Labour MP Meg Munn to stand down

Meg Munn is to stand down from Parliament at the 2015 general election.

Social worker Ms Munn, 54, has been MP for Sheffield Heeley since 2001 and served as minister for women and equality and Foreign Office minister in the Blair and Brown administrations.

She won a majority of 5,807 in 2010 in a constituency which has been Labour since 1974 and will be an attractive prospect for the party’s would-be MPs.

Announcing her decision to quit Parliament, Ms Munn said: “It has not been an easy decision to make, but I am confident it is the right one - for me, the party and the constituency.

“I look back with satisfaction on achievements I was centrally involved in, such as achieving change to gender neutral language in our legislation, allowing unmarried couples in stable relationships to adopt, introducing civil partnerships when I was minister for women and equality and helping constituents with problems great and small.”