Burnham-On-Sea’s MP James Heappey has, as expected, confirmed this week he has resigned from the role of Armed Forces minister.
Mr Heappey announced his decision to step down from his ministerial role on Tuesday (March 26th) after earlier this month saying he will be stepping down as an MP at the next General Election.
He says he had “loved every minute” as Armed Forces minister, adding: “Our Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence civil servants are the very best of us.”
“Representing them in parliament and around the world over last 4.5 years has been an amazing privilege.”
Mr Heappey added: “My sincerest thanks to all who serve so brilliantly in our nation’s Armed Forces and to the families that stand behind them.”
“We’re asking a lot of them at the moment – rightly so, the geo-political situation demands it – and we should never forget their sacrifice.”
It comes a day after he called for the government to spend more on defence, as it continues to fall short of the 2.5% of GDP – or even more – that many Tory MPs have been calling for.