Why some Tory MPs are stepping down

20% of Conservative MPs have announced they are jacking it in at the general election. 20% of Scottish National Party MPs have said the same. The figure is 8% for Labour MPs. The reasons for leaving the House of Commons are usually a mix of circumstance and psephology.

Robert Halfon has built up a sizeable majority in Harlow in Essex. Mr Heappey has acknowledged that “a great deal has changed in my life over the last few years. Both are highly regarded within their parties and beyond. Both fell over themselves, to a greater or lesser extent, to be full of praise.

James Heappey won the seat of Wells in Somerset from the Liberal Democrats in 2015. The Labour leader wasn’t wandering around a primary school there by accident, telling kids he used to play the flute. The places he pops up in are rigorously chosen and highlight in plain sight where Labour has its eyes on. Acoba stands for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

The committee sets out the rules about the jobs former minsters can and cannot take on, and when. There are no end of rules, but as a rule of thumb the more political water that passes under the bridge, the more tolerant Acoba are likely to be. Many backbenchers, in particular, probably leave it until the very last minute to announce they have had enough. Plenty more will leave, I suspect - with many backbencher, particular, likely to leave at the end of the day.

It will be fascinating to see what happens next.