James Purnell joins largest exodus of MPs in post-war era

James Purnell's decision to stand down as an MP comes just two weeks after another former cabinet minister, Geoff Hoon, announced he too planned to go . It brings the tally of Labour MPs leaving parliament this year to 90 and adds to the phalanx of former senior ministers exiting stage left. Heavyweights of the Blairite era such as Alan Milburn, the former health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, who also held that brief, and John Reid, who held a number of portfolios before standing down from ministerial office when Gordon Brown took the reins, had already signalled their intention to go. The striking thing about Purnell is that he is far younger than the others and was seen as part of a possible winning ticket if David Miliband made a bid for the Labour leadership after the general election. But Purnell has decided to make history in a different way, by being part of the biggest wave of MPs in the post-war era to leave parliament – 136 and counting.