Brooks Newmark To Quit As MP

An Essex MP, who sent explicit pictures to an undercover reporter, says he's going into psychiatric care and standing down as an MP.

Brooks Newmark quit as minister for civil society two weeks ago over the newspaper sting and now says he'll step down as an MP at next year's election over fresh allegations.

The American-born MP for Braintree admitted to the Mail on Sunday that he had "craved adrenaline and risk'' and blamed stress at work for driving him to "increasingly erratic behaviour''.

He will now go into residential psychiatric care for the next few weeks.

In an article for the newspaper, he wrote: "In response to what seems to be a new text-and-tell story I am standing down as an MP at the next election.

"I was the man who had everything ... Now my political career is in ruins.

"I have traumatised my family and let down my constituents and my colleagues. Many will regard me as a failure and it is true: behind the outward facade of success and achievement, I have been battling demons - and losing to them. I craved adrenaline and risk."

Mr Newmark resigned his ministerial post after just weeks into the job when it emerged that he had exchanged suggestive pictures over the internet with a reporter posing as a young Tory PR woman.

After fresh allegations emerged he wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron to announce he would quit as an MP at the general election next May.

"The continued media intrusion into past episodes in my personal life is placing an intolerable burden on my family. I have therefore decided to stand down at the general election. I will continue to serve my constituents to the best of my abilities until that time,'' he wrote.