Stourbridge MP stepping down

Stourbridge MP Debra Shipley is stepping down after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ms Shipley, 47, said in a statement that she had been receiving treatment for six weeks, and will undergo a double mastectomy operation next month.

Last year Ms Shipley lost her husband to cancer after he was diagnosed in 1998.

She said: “Throughout his illness I have been grateful for the support and understanding of my constituents and neighbours in Stourbridge and colleagues in Westminster.”