Former chancellor Ken Clarke has said he has no regrets as he stands down as an MP after 49 years in the Commons.
The Father of the House – a title bestowed on the longest continually serving parliamentarian – said he was enjoying the job as much as he did when he first arrived in Westminster in 1970.
In a career spanning almost half a century, he served in numerous government posts under Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, John Major and David Cameron.
He said he was “not that bothered” about standing down because he had been planning it for so long, but admitted: “I suppose I ought to feel more emotional than I do but I don’t.”
Asked if he had any regrets, he said: “Not at all. I’ve enjoyed it.
“I had this mad idea I wanted to be an MP, became an MP quite young, loved it from the first moment and just immersed myself in it, I greatly enjoy it.
“I am still a political addict – I enjoy it as much as I did in the first year I was here.”
