POLITICAL rivals of Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier have welcomed Theresa May’s decision to drop him from her cabinet.

This week, it was announced that Mr Garnier had lost his job as International Trade Minister following the Prime Minister’s reshuffle.

Downing Street said the move had been made to make way for new blood and the 53-year-old said he was “bitterly disappointed” with the decision but would continue to concentrate on his job as district MP.

But his political opponents welcomed the decision and said they believed it should have happened when the controversial sex toy allegations involving Mr Garnier emerged in October last year.

Independent councillor John Aston, who is a former Kidderminster Mayor and who campaigned for Mr Garnier when he was still in the Conservative Party, said: “I would just like to congratulate Theresa May on making a very sensible decision.

“Even though he was cleared by the Cabinet Office, he still left a smear  over the Wyre Forest constituency and this is definitely the right move by the Prime Minister.”

Stephen Brown, of Wyre Forest Labour, said: “Mark saying he is sad to lose his ministerial job. I bet he is, his gravy train just hit a hiccup.

“Many people in Wyre Forest won’t be sad. He should have been sacked weeks ago.

“Wyre Forest deserves much better from our MP, someone who sticks up for constituents, protects the NHS and rejects austerity which is making life for many here absolutely desperate as pay spirals backwards and the cost of living goes up.”

Mr Garnier hit the national headlines last year when his former PA Caroline Edmundson told the Mail on Sunday that he had sent her out to buy two toys from a Soho sex shop. She also claimed he called her “sugart**ts”.

But he insisted the events were taken out of context and he never pressurised her into doing anything. A subsequent Cabinet Office inquiry cleared him of any wrongdoing and Mrs May told him removing him from the trade role had nothing to do with the revelations.

Mr Garnier said: “The trade job was an extremely rewarding and fulfilling job. But one happy consequence is I get to return to focusing 100 per cent on representing the people of Wyre Forest.”