A Northern Ireland minister has announced he won't stand at the next general election.

Nick Hurd said he'll continue as an MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner until such time as a General Election is called.

"I am not resigning as a Minister and will continue to serve as a Member of Parliament until the next General Election," he said.

He thanked his constituents for giving him the chance to represent them for the past 14 years.

The Conservative MP replaced John Penrose at the Northern Ireland office in July.

He had backed Remain in the Brexit referendum.

"It has also been a great honour to have been invited by three different Prime Ministers to serve my country for almost nine years as Minister in five Government Departments – overseeing charities and the voluntary sector at the Cabinet Office, international development in Sub-Saharan Africa at DFID; climate change and industry at BEIS; Police and Fire at the Home Office; and now Northern Ireland and London," he said in a statement on his website.

"The responsibility of being Minister for the survivors and bereaved of the terrible Grenfell tragedy in 2017 has been a very personal one for me.

"When I was re-elected in 2017, I committed to serve my constituents until 2022. Given the clear likelihood that a General Election will be called before that date, I feel I should clarify my position.

"Fourteen years ago, my intention was to serve in Parliament for as long as my constituents continued to elect me. However, much has changed since then. Politics is now dominated by the ongoing division over Brexit. More happily, my private life has been changed profoundly by the birth of my two youngest children.

"I now feel that it is time for me to make a change and embrace a new challenge," he said.

Belfast Telegraph