As Royston Smith announces plans to stand down, these pictures show his political career through the years.

A well-known figure in the city, Smith is a British Conservative Party politician and has served as Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen since the 2015 general election. He was previously a councillor on Southampton City Council.

Born in Harefield, he was educated at Bitterne Park School, Southampton.

Read more: MP for Southampton Itchen set to step down >>>

He became an engineer for the Royal Air Force in 1980, working on the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod fleet for 10 years.

He then worked for British Airways as an aeronautical engineer at London Heathrow for 16 years.

Daily Echo: Royston Smith (centre), Southampton City Council Leader and Caroline Noakes, MP for Romsey listening to Prime Minister David Cameron's keynote speech on immigration in Romsey today. Last week Mr Smith disarmed a Royal Navy submariner, Ryan Donovan,

Smith owned the local bike shop Triangle Cycles in Bitterne Park from 1993 to 2003. He became the chairman of the Triangle Traders' association.

Smith was first elected as a Conservative councillor for the Harefield ward in the 2000 Southampton City Council election

Daily Echo: L-r, Royston Smith MP, Saints legend Matt Le Tissier and Gala's chief executive Simon Wykes. Opening of Gala Bingo, Antelope Park, Southampton. Picture: Chris Moorhouse. Sunday 31st January 2016

He stood as a Conservative candidate in the Southampton Itchen constituency in the 2010 general election but came second in the seat, losing by 192 votes to the incumbent Labour MP John Denham.

Smith was elected as MP for the constituency in the subsequent 2015 general election and was re-elected in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections

He has always been a staunch supporter of Brexit.