Forest of Dean MP Mark Harper has put himself in the running to be the next Prime Minister.

The member of parliament for the Forest of Dean since 2005, Mr Harper has become the 12th member of the Conservative party to make a bid to replace Theresa May.

He has admitted to being an "underdog" in a race that already includes Government heavyweights Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid.

Mr Harper served as chief whip and immigration minister under David Cameron but resigned from government in 2014 after his cleaner was not found to be eligible to work in the UK.

He returned to the backbenches and won an overall majority in the 2017 General Election when polling in excess of 28,000 votes, more than his rivals combined.

And he believes his absence from the cabinet during the time of upheaval over Brexit means he can offer something that Johnson, Javid, Gove and company can't.

"We've seen basically the same faces saying the same things that they've been saying for the last three years," he said when announcing his leadership bid to the Daily Telegraph.

"A number of them have tried to position themselves as fresh faces but I'm afraid they've sat around the cabinet table sharing the responsibility with the prime minister."

Mr Harper was born and raised in Swindon but moved to the west of Gloucestershire to set up his own chartered accountancy business in the Forest of Dean.

He served as a governor at Newent Community School and ran for parliament in the Forest of Dean in 2002, losing to Labour's Diana Organ.

He had a second go in 2005 and was elected and has proven to be a popular member working under the slogan "working for Gloucestershire, west of the Severn."

His name will now join the 11 over candidates for leadership on a ballot of Conservative MPs.

The top two from that list will run off in a final vote of party members and become the next Prime Minister.

Mr Harper is currently considered to be a long shot among bookmakers and just the 13th favourite to become the new PM at odds of around 100/1.