A by-election will be held this autumn in a strong Labour seat after Rosie Cooper announced she was stepping down as an MP after 17 years.

The Labour MP, who has represented West Lancashire since 2005, said the announcement “will come as a surprise to many people” as she had recently secured reselection to stand in the seat for the next election.

Ms Cooper, 72, said she is stepping down because she has accepted a new role as chair of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Labour confirmed to Sky News that a by-election for her seat will take place “this autumn”.

Ms Cooper said: “It has been an incredible honour and privilege to have served the people of West Lancashire for the last 17 years. I have loved every minute, even in the most difficult times.

“I appreciate this will come as a surprise to many people having recently secured reselection to stand as West Lancashire’s Labour Party candidate for the next general election. This was prior to the recruitment process for the Mersey Care position.”

She said she had taken a “considerable period of soul searching and reflection” before applying for the role.

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

The MP was the victim of a plot to kill her by an alleged member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action – the same group the man who killed Labour MP Jo Cox was a member of.

In 2018, Jack Renshaw, then 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, admitted to plotting to kill Ms Cooper for “white jihad” and for making threats to kill a police officer.

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