NEIL Gerrard, MP for Walthamstow, has announced that he will not be standing in the next general election.

Mr Gerrard, 64, has represented the constituency of Walthamstow since 1992 when he beat the former Conservative MP, Hugo Summerson. Before that, Mr Gerrard was leader of Waltham Forest Council from 1986 to 1990.

In the 2005 general election he held his parliamentary seat with a majority of nearly 8,000 votes.

He said that he had thought long and hard about whether to put himself forward for reselection in the next general election and came to the conclusion that he is likely to be 67 by then, a good time to stand down.

Mr Gerrard is expected to release a full statement explaining his decision next week.