Rishi Sunak's energy minister has announced he is standing down from his Cabinet role to focus on local issues.

Graham Stuart said he is proud to have served in the Government over the past eight years, and he will "fully support" the Prime Minister from the back benches.

Mr Stuart told MSPs in January this year that it would not be “a sensible use of British taxpayers’ money” to step in and save Scotland’s only oil refinery from closing.

In November, Petroineos announced it intends to close its oil refinery at Grangemouth and transform it into an import terminal instead.

Hundreds of jobs are set to be lost in the move which is expected to take place in the spring of 2025.

Mr Stuart intends to turn his focus to issues such as making roads safer, broadband delivery and increasing the number of defibrillators in his constituency of Beverley and Holderness.

Announcing his resignation he said he also hopes to focus on improving access to dentistry and healthcare, working with farmers on flooding, and championing his Make Our Roads Safer campaign.

He said: "I'm proud to have served in the Government for most of the past eight years, but now it's time to focus on Beverley and Holderness.

"I'm proud to have achieved much over the past 18 years, from rock armour at Withernsea to saving East Riding Community Hospital, installing life-saving defibrillators in rural communities and slashing fares on the Humber Bridge.

"I'm looking forward to working with communities to make our roads safer, helping the council take full advantage of the opportunities brought by devolution, pressing the case for York to Hull Rail and improving healthcare in Beverley and Holderness."

In addition to his role as energy and net zero minister, Mr Stuart also served in the Foreign Office, the Department for International Trade and as an assistant whip to the Treasury.

This comes a month after former armed forces minister James Heappey announced he was leaving the Cabinet and standing down at the next general election.

Mr Stuart, who was also climate minister, was criticised by Labour when he flew back from the COP28 conference in Dubai to take part in a crunch Commons vote on the government's Rwanda bill.