He spent the best part of 14 years in what remains a coveted job but the former Conservative MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey says he has done his stint and it’s time to move on.
Political Editor Paul Francis finds out what he is going to miss and what the future holds?
A true ‘Man of Kent’, Gordon Henderson started life on a council estate in Medway. He left school at 16 and worked as a stockroom assistant in Woolworths, working his way up to senior store manager by 1979.
He held a number of jobs after including owning a restaurant in South Africa, senior contracts officer for GEC Marconi in Rochester and director of Unwins Wine Group.
It was 14 years ago that the adopted “Swampie” was first voted in as MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, having missed out to Labour in 2005 by just 79 votes.
But as the country gets ready for the next general election, Mr Henderson won’t be leading the campaign trail for the Conservatives for the first time in nearly two decades.
Will he miss life of a politician? “I shall miss my constituency work more than I shall miss the Westminster work. I shall miss my office because working in the Palace of Westminster was a privilege and I shall miss walking into that fantastic building as a part of my work.
“But I won't miss the Westminster scene; throughout my time as a Member of Parliament, I tried to escape from the mad house as quickly as possible. I was not one of those who hung around in the bars and restaurants. I wanted to get home to my constituency so I started every day from there.”
Part of it was experiencing what his own constituents who commuted to London often had to go through. “They don't get a second home funded by the taxpayer. So I took a vow that wherever possible I’d do the same as they did.”
He says that although he will no longer be the MP he would like to keep his hand in one or two days a week offering assistance to his successor - should they succeed in getting elected.
It seems an odd thing, but he describes himself as not really being an MP.
“I have only ever really seen myself as a representative of my community in Parliament; in my constituency I have gone out of my way to be non-party political; I have worked very closely with whoever was the leader of Swale council; I have worked with all of them in the interest of residents collectively.”
Does he think that some MPs become institutionalized by Parliament? “Yes, they get sucked into the Westminster bubble and forget the influence they have in the constituency. Too many of my colleagues have forgotten that.”
He points out that as a resident of the community for 40 years himself he has a vested interest in pursuing issues that affected it. ‘It was in my interest to get the best possible investment because I use it.”
As to the late night dramas of votes at four o'clock in the morning, he is ambivalent saying that whatever drama was often dreamed up by the media.
“I thought it was a drag; I remember sitting one night at 4am; then I drove home to Sheppey just as the sun was rising, had a couple of hours sleep then got back in the car to drive back to Westminster.”
“In most jobs you can say well, I’m going to work to whatever time but you can't with that job because it is literally 24/7 there is always something happening. There is a good reason why we have those long hours and in many ways that is what makes for the excitement of Parliament.”
So what is he looking forward to most now he has left the Palace of Westminster? “I am going to enjoy being able to book a holiday knowing that the date won't change,” he jokes.
And his passion for writing means he is also going to enjoy what he enjoys most.
He has already got half way through a follow up to his latest novel and says there is plenty more to come. Who knows? It might feature a former MP.
