Sussex MP Charles Wardle is quitting Parliament over his links with Mohamed Al Fayed.

Mr Wardle, the Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle, has been criticised by some party members after he accepted a £120,000-a-year directorship at Harrods. In 1993, as junior Home Office minister, Mr Wardle rejected Mr Al Fayed's application for a British passport.

Mr Wardle was unanimously reselected in January by the local Conservative association to defend his seat. But, after criticism of his directorship, he said yesterday: "Enough is enough. If I were 50 then I would box these extra rounds, but I don't see why I should. I haven't been forced out, but I believe there are certain people and factions that would have tried to do that at some point. I'm leaving before it gets out of hand."

Mr Wardle informed Conservative Association officers of his decision yesterday. In a letter to association chairman, Walter Bell, he said: "There are better things to do with my life than to scrap with the shrill, deeply unpleasant faction inside and outside Westminster who are in danger of dislocating from the wider electorate."

Mr Wardle added he has always been open about his new job, as a non executive director of the Harrods board for two days a week. He insisted there was a clause in his contract making clear he will not be required to ask parliamentary questions or speeches on Mr Fayed's behalf.

The job was also cleared with the Tory whips' office and Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary commissioner for standards. Mr Fayed is disliked by many party activists who believe his allegations of political sleaze contributed to the party's election defeat of 1997.

He welcomed Mr Wardle's decision to quit parliament at the next election. In a letter to the MP he said: "You are a man of too much integrity and decency to waste your time in Parliament."

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