JESSICA Harrington says standing down as an MP isn’t a decision anyone would take lightly.

Speaking to GB News in the wake of Dehenna Davison’s decision not to stand, Jessica, who made the same decision in 2014, said: “It’s a huge decision to stand down. And I’m fairly sure that it’s not a decision anyone would ever take lightly because it’s such a huge privilege to be elected, all the work that goes into that, your responsibility to your team, to your constituents, and so on.

“There are a number of factors. For me, it was a combination of factors. And in particular, I love being an MP, I love being a barrister, as well and I wanted to pursue my law career at that point.

“But what I think we need to achieve is a Parliament of all the talents. And I just think that it’s unrealistic to say that some people can join for 30 years, if they have the luxury of being re-elected all through that time, and some people can maybe only offer five or 10 years of public service.

“And I think that’s a healthy debate to have and I think that would be a healthy position for the country. I do think that you need a combination, because the benefit, of course, of having people who are in Parliament for a number of years, they bring that expertise.

“You think about a large company or organisation, you don’t want a high turnover of staff. You need people that can see through campaigns, through legislation, understand Parliament, and really have that continuity. But at the same time, if we want to achieve the best possible people there, even if they can just do one or two terms, then I think that’s something to be encouraged.”

In an interview with Phillip Davies and Esther McVey on GB News, she said: “It is sort of an exceptional circumstance, the role you’ve got, the public element of the job, as well as trying to get your your day-to -day paperwork job done, and answer all your constituents as inquiries and so on.

“There is a balance there, I think the main challenge really is the lifestyle because really although there are a number of MPs, obviously their constituencies are near Westminster, most people are not. And I think that you have to be happy in mind that you have to essentially live in places. You’ve got to make that work for your own circumstances, for those of your family, and so on, there’s a number of considerations for people to take.

“And I suppose for some people, it may be that until they’re elected, they’re not really aware of how that will impact.”

She told GB News: “With an election two years away, so much can happen. I think that it has to be more a decision based on your own circumstances, and what is right for you, you and your family. If we look at the last two years in politics, I wouldn’t like to be the person to bet on what’s going to happen in two years time.

“You know, on you turn up at the town hall, and you have no idea if you’re going to still have a job at the end of the night.

“Then you can leave the town hall or the leisure centre without a job and actually if you have responsibilities and so on personal circumstances, that for them, might be a truly devastating situation in so many ways, let alone politically.”