Mark Simmonds said he was quitting as a Foreign Office minister and was standing¹ down as an MP because he was unwilling² to carry on staying in hotels while his family were hundreds of miles away in Lincolnshire.

 

Mr Simmonds is the second minister to quit the department in less than a week, after Baroness³ Warsi quit over the Government's policy towards Gaza.

 

Labour said the double resignation had left the Foreign Office rudderless just as humanitarian⁴ catastrophes⁵ were unfolding in Gaza and Iraq.

 

The former Africa minister said he was leaving the Foreign Office and standing down as an MP because the "intolerable" pressure on his family life. He is being replaced by James Duddridge, a former Government whip.

 

The unexpected resignation surprised many in Westminster coming months after Mr Simmonds had told his constituents⁶ in Boston and Skegness that he would stand for re-election. However, the minister insisted there was "nothing sinister⁷" behind the announcement.

 

Mr Simmonds actually agreed to quit with David Cameron at last month's Cabinet reshuffle. However it was delayed until Monday to allow him to chair a United Nations meeting on the Congo in New York last week.

 

There were claims that Mr Simmonds had resigned fearing a tough fight from the UK Independence Party at May's election, despite a 12,000 majority in 2010, although this was firmly denied by Mr Simmonds.

 

Mr Simmonds is paid £89,435 a year as a minister and MP and is entitled to £27,875 a year to rent and pay for a flat with him and his family.

 

However he said this did not "stretch" far enough and so he stayed in hotels during the week when he was in London. His wife is also paid up to £25,000 a year to act as his office manager.

 

In an interview with The Telegraph he said: "I have to stay in a different hotel room every week and any parent would hate that – and I do.

 

"The accommodation allowance needs to provide for families – and it doesn't. When my children are on holiday they can't come and stay with me in London - I can't see them."

 

"It has a really negative impact on the quality of life. I am not the only one who feels like this, but I am the only one at the moment who is doing anything about it."

点击收听单词发音