Labour MP Laura Moffatt has announced she is standing down at the general election.
MP for Crawley since 1997, she has the dubious honour of holding the smallest majority in the country winning just 37 votes more than her Conservative rival in 2005 – a number she famously has tattooed on her foot.
Raised in the town, she became Crawley's first ever Labour MP after the previous Tory MP Nicholas Soames relocated to the safer Mid-Sussex seat.
She survived a nail-biting election night in 2005 when the result was subject to three recounts, with her initial majority of 80 being whittled down to the eventual 37.
Moffat was a staff nurse at Crawley Hospital for twenty-three years and a member of Crawley Borough Council for twelve years prior to her election to Parliament.
She served as parliamentary private secretary to the Lord Chancellors Lord Irvine of Lairg and Lord Falconer of Thoroton throughout in the 2001 Parliament.
And she later as PPS to David Blunkett in his role as work and pensions secretary and as PPS to the then schools minister Jacqui Smith.
In 2006 she moved to assist Alan Johnson at the education department and then the department of health. In 2008 she was moved to become parliamentary assistant to Jonathan Shaw as minister for the South East.
Moffatt said today: "I have given a great deal of thought to this decision. It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the people of Crawley, but I feel the time has come for the Labour Party to seek a new candidate.
"The work of an MP is challenging and exciting but it takes its toll on family life which is why I have taken this difficult decision.
"I remain firmly committed to fighting for Labour to win the upcoming general election and am confident that, as they take a second look at Labour and a long hard look at the Conservatives, the British public will choose a future fair for all and a new Labour government."
