FORMER Conservative leader Michael Howard is to stand down as the MP for Folkestone and Hythe at the next election.

He told constituency activists on Friday that he had been privileged to have been an MP for more than 20 years but it was now "time to move on".

Mr Howard entered the Commons in 1983 and held a number of ministerial posts, culminating in becoming Home Secretary in John Major’s government in 1993, a post he held for four years.

In 2003, he surprised many when at the second attempt, he took over as leader of the Conservative party following the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith. However, after the party’s third election defeat he made way for David Cameron last year.

Announcing his intention to leave the Commons at the association’s annual dinner, Mr Howard said: "By the time of the next election, I will have been an MP for 26 years. I have been very privileged to serve as a government minister for 12 years and in the shadow cabinets for six years but the time has now come to move on.

He added: "I’ve had a good run and I think there is an art in going at the right time. I want to go while people are saying stay, rather than when they are saying he should have gone four years ago.

"I love the constituency and I will continue to represent it for the next three years. It has been a great honour and privilege to represent Folkestone and Hythe all this time."

Mr Howard was born in 1941 and educated at Llanelli Grammar School and Cambridge University. He was called to the Bar in 1964 and appointed a QC in 1982 - a year before becoming an MP.

His early political career included ministerial posts for local government, water and planning. As Local Government Minister, he masterminded the introduction of the poll tax.

In 1990, he entered the Cabinet as secretary of state for employment and in 1992 was appointed environment minister.

Regarded as an assiduous constituency MP, his first attempt to become leader of the party in 1997 failed and led to a spectacularly acrimonious row with his Kent colleague and former minister Ann Widdecombe, MP for Maidstone and the Weald.

Constituency agent Bob Davidson said it was too early to talk about the selection process for Mr Howard’s successor although local party chiefs would hold a meeting next week to talk about a possible timetable.

It is conceivable that the constituency, which is a safe seat, could be among those that are required to select a prospective candidate from the Conservative party’s "A" list of candidates, which aims to increase the number of women and ethnic minority candidates standing for the party.