FORMER secretary of state Shaun Woodward, who became a Labour cabinet minister after defecting from the Conservative Party, is to step down from parliament at the 2015 general election.
Mr Woodward, who represents St Helens South and Whiston, said he wanted to pursue voluntary and business interests after 18 years in the Commons.
He became secretary of state in 2007 - a role for which the wealthy politician, married to Camilla Sainsbury of the supermarket family, took no salary. Labour leader Ed Miliband said Mr Woodward had made a "vital contribution" to the Northern Ireland peace process.