Why this FCO minister's resignation is good news for Ukip

Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds has resigned from his position in the government and announced he will not be standing in next May's general election.

Unlike Baroness Warsi's resignation last week, Number 10 said Simmonds's exit was unrelated to events in the Middle East and it is thought the main reason for his departure is because of the "huge" and "negative" impact the role has had on his family life.

His resignation and decision not to stand for re-election in Boston and Skegness next May could well pave the way for a major Ukip challenge.

Traditionally true-blue, the Lincolnshire town (which has reportedly been nicknamed Little Poland) has been one of Ukip's most successful areas in recent elections.

The party achieved a 16.5 per cent increase in votes compared to 2009 in the European Elections in the East Midlands region this May and took 16 seats in the County Council elections in 2013.

In fact, the constituency has become such a key target for Ukip that Nigel Farage was even rumoured to be considering standing for election there until it was announced last week he was more likely to stand in South Thanet.

Although Ukip only registered 9.5 per cent of the vote in the 2010 general election, it was calculated that if votes from the 2013 local election had been counted for a general election, Ukip would have taken the seat from the Conservatives.

It will therefore be an interesting strategic decision as to who the respective parties choose as their candidates in May.

As an aside, the man Simmonds will be replaced by with as Africa minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is James Duddridge.

Last week, political blogger Matthew Dent found the MP for Rochford and Southend was holding a constituency surgery exclusively for Halifax bank customers.

The Conservative MP explained the decision to hold the surgery behind closed doors was because of concerns over space, but as Dent points out, surely the "exclusivity went against the spirit of democratic representation".

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