He said he did not want “to go on too long”, the newspaper added.

Sir Robert was born in North Yorkshire and educated in York before attending the University of Newcastle, where he completed a degree in agriculture.

He runs the family’s 250-acre farm at Terrington, near Malton.

Prior to becoming an MP, he was a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber between 1999 and 2004.

After being elected to Parliament in 2005, he served as an opposition whip and later as shadow transport minister.

Following the 2010 election, he was appointed as a treasury whip and later served as a minister in several government departments until 2019.

At the 2019 general election his majority was 10,270.

Sir Robert was awarded a knighthood in the 2022 New Year Honours list for services to politics and public service.

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