Lib Dem Sir Alan Beith MP to step down after 40 years as a Westminster MP, he had a remarkable record of longevity which few have equaled, he done reasonably well, but there is always a time to get out

Dear All

It seems that Veteran Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith has announced he will step down at the next election.

Having been elected in 1973, he was pretty much a fixture at Westminster, and is is the longest-serving Liberal since David Lloyd George.

Always nice to have a record to leave on, his career was varied having been a former chief whip of the Liberal Party and a former deputy leader of the Liberal Party and the Liberal Democrats.

Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said he had been a "huge figure" in politics which is one of the few times the Clegg gets it right.

Sir Alan was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2008 which is always handy if you want to eat out of an evening.

Clegg said:

"The present generation of political leaders in Britain were barely out of nursery when Alan Beith was first making his mark on the floor of the House of Commons. So it is little wonder that when Sir Alan speaks today, he commands the attention of all parties in Westminster. Sir Alan has held and excelled at pretty much every key role in the Liberals and Liberal Democrats - from chief whip to deputy leader and from home affairs spokesman to now chair of both the Justice Select Committee and the Liaison Committee. Speaking personally, I have learned to trust and rely on Alan's enormous wisdom and to greatly admire his passionate commitment to his Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency and to the North East, which shines through in everything he does."

When someone leaves politics they usually get a good write up as standard, unless they have blotted their copy book.

Sir Alan said:

"I intend to continue to be a very active MP over the next two years and look forward to working closely with a candidate for 2015 who will be chosen by all the members of the Berwick constituency's Liberal Democrat Association."

40 years as a Northumberland MP is a good innings and being part of the history that is the House of Commons is a good thing to have on the CV.

As Beith steps down, someone else will step up, whether they will be as good is anyone’s guess.

Happy retirement!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University