As a Suffolk boy, it has been the greatest honour to represent a town I have known and cared about since I was a child. I am proud of what we have done in the last seven years to help Ipswich begin to become the town it deserves to be.
That vision has only begun to be realized because I was able to work with some dedicated and passionate people, who care as deeply as I do about the future of Ipswich. The new opportunities that we have gained for Ipswich have been extremely hard-won and I could not have achieved these without their help and support. I want to thank them and wish them well in delivering the projects we have embarked upon.
I am grateful too, beyond words, to my fellow Conservatives, for giving me their enthusiasm, company and love in the ten years I was their candidate. They are committed public servants and deserve more thanks than they get.
Finally, I would like to thank the people of Ipswich, who elected me twice and gave me the opportunity to serve them and the nation. I have learned more from being their representative than in anything else I have done, and so it is with gratitude as well as immense pride that I say goodbye, and good luck.