At 1.46 this morning (Monday), Cllr Chris Whitehouse, ward councillor for Newport West wrote to all Conservative councillors, copying in the Isle of Wight media.
He tended his resignation as Group Secretary and from all committees. He also revealed that he would not be standing as MP in the 2020 general election.
In his own words. Ed
Dear Conservative Group Colleagues,
It is with profound regret that I need with immediate effect to tender my resignation as Group Secretary and to send my apologies for absence from all future Group meetings. I shall similarly be resigning from all committees and panels upon which I serve as one of your representatives.
This difficult, and painful decision, follows a further serious deterioration in my mental health brought about by recent developments in family relationships upon which it would be inappropriate to comment further.
I also serve notice that I shall not be seeking re-election in May 2017, as I had previously hoped to do, so you will now need to find a candidate to contest my beloved ward of Newport West. It is, frankly, the best ward on the Island and deserves a high caliber representative, particularly given the 5 schools based in and around the ward.
As some, but not all of you know, I have been battling some serious mental health issues over the past year. I simply cannot cope with the situation any longer and need to extract myself from the petty and frankly petulant squabbles of the council as much as I can in order to focus on my children and grandchildren who are deeply hurt by the current situation at home and which took a serious turn for the worse recently.
I appreciate that this is an absolute end to any political aspirations I may still have harbored, indeed to my lifetime ambitions, so I extend to others my best wishes as we address as an Island the fact that we will have two Members of Parliament moving forwards. I simply have had my confidence so destroyed that I would not be able to contest either of those seats. Thank you, and sorry for the disappointment to those of you who have encouraged me to go for Westminster!
You will still have some, albeit limited, input from me as you approach your own elections in May 2017, but I can no longer play a leadership role. I should put on record, however, my own deep respect for the way the Group has functioned in the difficult situation of opposition and under the very professional and inclusive leadership Dave has offered. You can, and should be, proud of yourselves for your performance in adversity.
Please pray for me and my family in these troubled times. I am, frankly, distraught, as are my children.
