Boris Johnson 'will let you down' says Norfolk MP Published duration 24 November 2019

image copyright UK Parliament image caption Keith Simpson was first elected an MP in 1997

Prime minister Boris Johnson will "let people down", a retiring Conservative MP has said.

Keith Simpson, who served for 22 years, said Boris Johnson came "with a lot of baggage".

Mr Simpson had held the Broadland seat in Norfolk since it was created and he had a 15,816 majority in 2017. He announced his decision to stand down in September.

The Conservative Party has been contacted for a comment.

Speaking to the BBC East Sunday Politics show, Mr Simpson, 70, said age was a factor in his decision to retire but he also had not liked the "direction of travel" of the Conservative Party.

Criticising the prime minister, he said: "The one thing you can rely upon is that he will let you down and he comes with a lot of baggage."

However, Mr Simpson made it clear these were his own personal views.

image caption Boris Johnson's reliability has been questioned by retiring MP Keith Simpson

Former BBC presenter Nick Conrad was chosen to run as Mr Simpson's successor for the Broadland seat in Norfolk, then stepped down in a row over comments he made about a rape trial.

Mr Conrad, 34, was criticised for saying in 2014 that women should "keep their knickers on" during an on-air discussion about rape.

He apologised for the comments at the time and no further action was taken by the radio industry watchdog.

In a statement released by the Conservative Party after his selection, Mr Conrad said he had made a "genuine and heartfelt apology" for his "ill-judged comments" but decided not to run as an MP

for the seat.

image caption Nick Conrad withdrew as Conservative candidate for Broadland following controversy surrounding on-air remarks about rape

The prospective parliamentary candidates for the Broadland seat are:

Jessica Barnard (Labour)

Andrew Boswell (Green)

Ben Goodwin (Liberal Democrat)

Alex Hayes (Brexit Party)

Jerome Mayhew (Conservative)