Labour MP Rosie Cooper to quit Parliament

Labour MP Rosie Cooper has announced her intention to stand down in order to take up a new role as chair of an NHS trust. Revealing her plan, the West Lancashire MP said she was “very sad” her time in Parliament was coming to an end. Her departure will now trigger a by-election this autumn. Cooper was the target of an attemted murder plot in 2017 – neo-Nazi Jack Renshaw was handed a life sentence after he admitted buying a sword he planned to use in an attack on Cooper and a female police officer. The MP said in a statement:

“The events I have faced over the last few years are well-documented and undoubtedly have taken their toll.”

Cooper, who has held her seat since 2005, did not give a timeline for exiting Parliament, but a Labour source said the by-election was expected later in the autumn.

Leader Keir Starmer will hope to defend the West Lancashire seat, which has been held by his party since 1992. Cooper was re-elected with a majority of more than 8,000 in 2019.