Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Tom Tugendhat pays tribute to Sir John:
"Whoever wins the next election they've got a hard act to follow. On 15 February Sir John will be celebrating 40 years as the MP for Tonbridge and Malling and many of his friends will be cheering him too. It's an amazing record of service.
"I am not taking anything for granted but am ejoying learning from someone who knows. It seems there is no one in Tonbridge, Edenbridge, Malling or any of the villages in between who doesn't have a kind word to say about Sir John. He has helped families with homes, travellers with passports, commuters with railways and communities with hospitals. Sir John has been a wonderful MP.
"I will be working hard to ensure that I am worthy to inherit his mantle as the Conservative Candidate and, I hope, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling. It would be a great honour to continue my service here in Kent."