Braintree MP Brooks Newmark has told the Prime Minister he intends to quit at the next election.

Mr Newmark, 56, recently resigned from his ministerial post after it emerged he had exchanged explicit images with an undercover freelance reporter.

In a letter to David Cameron, the former minister for civil society said “continued media intrusion” had placed an intolerable burden on his family and had led to his decision to stand down at the general election next May.

Mr Newmark, a father of five, wrote: “I again appeal to the media to respect my family’s privacy and to give me a chance to try to heal the hurt I have caused them. I have no one to blame but myself and take full responsibility for my own actions.

“I will remain a loyal supporter of the Government and would like to thank the many friends and colleagues for the support and sympathy they have shown me and my family.”