REDDITCH MP Karen Lumley is being admitted to the Alexandra Hospital today for a planned but serious surgical procedure.

The operation will mean that Mrs Lumley is unable to carry out her full Parliamentary duties for at least six weeks, and will also not be able to undertake constituency visits and meetings until sometime in late November.

Mrs Lumley is however keen to stress that, while she will be unavailable to undertake appointments in person, much her business will carry on as normal and her offices in Westminster and in Redditch will continue to operate as normal.

She will be in hospital for a few days following the operation, during which time her e-mails and other correspondence will be fully monitored, after which time Mrs Lumley will be recovering at home and will be able to undertake light desk duties.

Speaking before she was admitted, Mrs Lumley said: "This is a planned procedure which I have known was needed, but now the time has come to have the operation I just want to get on with it.

"Everyone who knows me will know that I am not the kind of person who will want to sit around doing nothing, but the medical advice is that I take at least six weeks off work so that is what I will be doing.

"I will of course monitor the situation very closely and see how I feel, but hopefully I will be fully up to speed again very soon."