TRADE Minister Nigel Huddleston has denied that Ben Wallace stepping down as an MP is an indication of a near certain General Election defeat for the Conservatives.

He told GB News: “I think it’s fair and reasonable that Ben has given the Prime Minister notification that come the next reshuffle he would like to stand down. That’s perfectly fair for him to make that decision and make that public.

“But Ben will be absolutely focused on his job right up until the last second because he’s been dedicated.

“MPs on both sides of the chamber decide to stand down for a whole variety of reasons. I think in 2010, it was like 150 or something including I think 100 Labour MPs.”

Asked about the forthcoming by-elections during an interview with Camilla Tominey, he continued: “We’re fighting for every single vote, I can assure you…

“And also I can tell you there’s no enthusiasm at all for Keir Starmer or Labour and also complete confusion as to what on earth the Lib Dems stand for and zero awareness of who their leader is.

“I am confident about winning as many elections every time we stand. It’s really important that we fight for every single vote, and certainly I say we’ve got excellent candidates who would make excellent MPs and very, very clearly they’re the best choice out there.”

He added: “So we’re fighting for every single vote. And we’ll continue to do so right up until the last second.”