A former Greater Manchester MP has described Westminster politics as “exhausting”.
Liz McInnes served for five years as Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton, after a by-election win in 2014. She lost her seat in the 2019 general election.
The 66-year-old served as shadow foreign minster but said being an MP felt “remote” and that Parliament was “paralysed” after the Brexit referendum.
The sheet-metal worker’s daughter, who grew up in Oldham, was elected as a councillor on Rossendale Borough Council in 2024 where she is lead member for Communities, Housing, Health and Wellbeing.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “My five years at Westminster were dominated by Brexit.
“It was Brexit paralysis. I went through four elections in that period.”
She added Westminster “was exhausting” and it felt “the time had come for a younger person to stand”.
The former Oxford University student said: “What I enjoy most about politics is knocking on doors and speaking to people.
“Being a councillor is very immediate, which I like. We make decisions and see outcomes quite quickly.
“Councillors have quite a lot of independence. I like talking to people and sorting problems myself.”