Wirral West MP Margaret Greenwood has announced she is to stand down at the next general election.
She was elected in 2015 after beating incumbent Conservative MP Esther McVey by less than 500 votes.
The 64 year-old increased her majority to over 3,000 at the 2019 poll, but has decided not to contest the 2024 election.
During her time in parliament she has acted as Shadow Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, and shadow minister for schools.
She resigned from the shadow cabinet in 2020 to vote against a bill which would have authorised police officers and some government officials to commit criminal offences, in contravention of the Labour whip which ordered its MPs to abstain.
Locally, she was a vocal critic of the controversial and ultimately ill-fated Hoylake Golf Resort, and also campaigned against the inclusion of green belt in the new local plan.
In a statement, Margaret Greenwood said: “After a great deal of thought, I have decided that I will not put myself forward to stand to be a Member of Parliament at the next general election.
“It has been a great honour and a privilege to serve the people of Wirral West as their Member of Parliament since May 2015. I am grateful for all the support that I have received, both from the local community and from Labour Party members.
“I will continue to work on behalf of Wirral West residents up until the next general election.”
Proposed changes to the parliamentary constituency boundaries for the next election will see the West Wirral constituency expanded to take in Heswall, Thornton Hough, Brimstage and Raby Mere.
Wirral South is set to be abolished, and its MP, Alison McGovern, announced earlier this week that she will challenge Mick Whitley for the right to stand as the Labour Party’s candidate for Birkenhead.