OUTGOING Taunton Deane MP Jeremy Browne has explained more about his reasons for opting not to contest next year’s General Election.

Mr Browne’s scheduled appearance at the Taunton School business breakfast event on Friday was one of his first engagements since announcing he would not stand for the LibDems in 2015.

In his announcement he also scotched rumours he would defect to another party.

In front of guests from around the county he discussed his role as a Foreign Office Minister and how visiting countries expanding much more rapidly than the UK had influenced one of his books, Race Plan.

He also said that as well as some ‘disillusionment’ with national politics, the opportunities afforded by the global marketplace had contributed to his decision to stand down and pursue a different career.

He said: “In national politics I have attempted to shift some of the debate within my own party and within politics generally. I had come to the view that I had said what I had to say and was likely to have made as much impression on that debate as I was likely to make."

He also said that he had to think carefully about the four or five year commitment to being an MP if he were successful in holding the seat.

“I came to the view that although you don’t know what the future holds, you can be pretty certain you won’t find out if you don’t go and look,” he added.

He expressed frustration that the political agenda was easily distracted from the major challenges faced by the country.

Asked by the County Gazette how Taunton Deane could play a role helping Britain in a global race, he said: “It’s an interesting time in the history of the town. There is no natural size of a place. If there’s one thing worse than a town expanding, it’s contracting.

“We have to deal with the challenges of expanding.”

He also said Taunton Deane’s unemployment rate of 2% was much better than the national figure of 6%.