James Heappey is set to quit as armed forces minister in a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak.

The former soldier is expected to leave the role at the end of the month.

He has also told his constituents that he intends to stand down as an MP at the next general election.

In a letter to his local association, first reported by The Times, the Wells MP said he had “concluded that now is the time to step away from politics, prioritise my family, and pursue a different career”.

Describing it as a “painful decision”, he wrote: “The opportunity to serve the communities within the Wells constituency for the last nine years has been the greatest honour of my life.”

Mr Heappey has previously expressed frustrations over levels of defence spending but a source close to him said the issue was not linked to his resignation.

Mr Heappey becomes the 60th Tory MP to confirm they will not fight the next general election.

It is understood that Rishi Sunak offered him the option of staying on as armed forces minister until the election.

But he asked to leave sooner to focus on his constituency and future employment.

Mr Heappey won his seat in Somerset with a 9,991 majority in 2019.

He is facing boundary changes but the constituency is still thought to be winnable by the Tories, who are trailing Labour by around 20 points in national polls.

It comes after former prime minister Theresa May last week announced she will step down as the MP for Maidenhead at the next election.