VETERAN Labour MP Paul Flynn has announced he intends to stand down due to health reasons after 31 years at Westminster.

The MP for Newport West briefly served as Shadow Leader of the Commons and Shadow Welsh secretary in 2016.

The left-winger said: "I'll wait for a convenient time to go. By-elections are expensive and can be troublesome for the party. I don't think this Government can last for more than a few months, anyway."

Asked about his time in Parliament, Mr Flynn, 83, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, said: "I've loved every minute of it. It's been a great, wonderful, rich experience. I lasted 31 years."

Mr Flynn has been a strong advocate for the medicinal use of cannabis.