A former Tory MP was ejected from a high-profile party at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

Former Newcastle-Under-Lyme MP Aaron Bell unexpectedly stepped down as a candidate for re-election several weeks into the campaign, for “personal and family reasons”.

He attended the 1922 Committee Party, hosted by the website Conservative Home, on Sunday night.

But onlookers saw him being asked to leave the bash, and he did so.

Announcing his decision not to stand in the election in May, Mr Bell said his family had made “so many sacrifices” while he was an MP.

“I am proud of the work we have done for individual constituents, even changing the law on behalf of one," he said.

Later in the evening the four leadership contenders gave 60-second ‘elevator pitch’ speeches at the event, held in Birmingham’s Cube venue.

Be the first with news from Mirror Politics

Mr Bell lives in Newcastle-Under-Lyme with wife Emily and three children.

The Tories' annual conference is being held this week in Birmingham, where the four candidates to succeed Rishi Sunak are setting out their stalls.

Labour won the Staffordshire seat in the general election, with Adam Jogee now sitting as the MP.

Be the first with news from Mirror Politics