FORMER Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has left the Conservative Party, taking aim at its “current non-Conservative parliamentary composition”.

Mr Fysh was first elected in 2015 and returned with increased majorities in 2017 and 2019.

He held the post of Exports Minister for 37 days after he backed Liz Truss's leadership campaign in 2022 but was replaced by Andrew Bowie after Rishi Sunak took the top job.

Mr Fysh was a member of the International Trade Committee for three years and served as the deputy president of the Board of Trade.

But he was unseated by Liberal Democrat Adam Dance at the general election.

Mr Dance won the seat with a majority of 12,286 – a figure that drew gasps when it was announced at the Wellsprings counting venue.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday evening, Mr Fysh said: “I hereby resign from the Conservatives.

“It's dead. No chance of ever being electable again with its current non-Conservative parliamentary composition.

“Move on. Let's do something else.”

In a separate post, he wrote: “It's over.

“Need to rebuild a new centre/centre-right party that is actually small c conservative where 65% of the country is, that is isn't nativist or weird and believes in human agency for a better future.

“Who's with me?”

Asked if he might join Nigel Farage's Reform UK, Mr Fysh replied: “No.

“Need to be irreproachably centre and centre right, sensible small c Conservative appealing to the whole country.”

After winning the vote in Yeovil, Mr Dance, who became the youngest Somerset county councillor in 2017, told the County Gazette: “It's a real privilege to be representing this constituency where I grew up.

“To follow in the footsteps of Paddy (Ashdown) and David (Laws).

“I plan to be an agent for change at Westminster and to rebuild the confidence of this community in their MP.

“The first thing I'm really looking forward to doing is actually having a constituency office which is open for residents to come in and have conversations with their MP and their staff.”