End of Commons road for four MPs

Gillian Shephard, Sir Teddy Taylor, Sir Brian Mawhinney and Jonathan Sayeed

Four of the eastern region's MPs retire from the House of Commons on Monday with the dissolution of parliament.

The four, all Conservatives, include former party chairman and North West Cambs' Sir Brian Mawhinney and Gillian Shephard of South West Norfolk.

Rochford and Southend's Sir Teddy Taylor is also stepping down.

Mid-Beds' representative Jonathan Sayeed resigned as an MP on health grounds weeks after surviving a deselection attempt by party members.

Mr Sayeed has been MP for Mid-Bedfordshire since 1997 after representing Bristol East from 1983 to 1992.

Mr Sayeed was expelled from the Conservative Party in the Commons last month after being twice censured over claims he profited from private tours of Parliament.

'Time to go'

He announced he was standing down due to ill health at the general election.

Mrs Shephard, who has been South West Norfolk's MP for 18 years, has also served as Education and Employment Secretary.

In September 2004 she said she would be stepping down for family health reasons.

Sir Brian, who was first elected in 1979, announced in 2003 his intention to retire at the next election, saying that at the age of 65 it was time to go.

Sir Teddy was a Scottish Office minister in Edward Heath's government as MP for Glasgow Cathcart.

He resigned from his post in protest at British entry into the EEC but returned to parliament when he was elected as MP for his Essex constituency in a by-election in 1980.