UK politician in gay prostitute scandal to step down

LONDON - A British politician who withdrew from his party's leadership contest earlier this year after a newspaper revealed he had paid a gay prostitute for sex announced today he would step down at the next election.

Married father of two Mark Oaten, 42, member of parliament for the southern English city of Winchester, briefly ran for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats in January, but shelved his bid after a newspaper disclosed his affair with a 23-year-old "rent boy".

He said in a statement today he would not seek a fourth term at the next election, expected in 2009.

"I will continue to work for all my constituents both locally and at Westminster where I also hope to focus on human rights and third world development issues," he said.

A political high flyer from a young age, Oaten had become party spokesman on law and order and had campaigned for the party leadership as a family man, inviting cameras into his house, before the tabloid furore wrecked his career.

The scandal came at a difficult time for Britain's centrist third party -- long time leader Charles Kennedy had just resigned over alcoholism, and one of the other leadership candidates later confessed that he too had lied when denying being gay.

Oaten and his wife have since both gone on to give high profile magazine and newspaper interviews about their marriage, and Oaten has made numerous appearances on television talk shows. Some in the media expect him to seek a TV career.

- REUTERS