Two former prime ministers, three former Northern Ireland Secretaries and several MPs who have played a significant role in British politics over the past 50 years are among those who will bid farewell to the Commons at this general election.
One of the most important figures on the list of retiring MPs is the former Conservative prime minister, Edward Heath, who entered the Commons in 1950. Heath took Britain into the heart of Europe in 1972 when he signed the Treaty of Accession in Brussels, fulfilling his wish to "get rid of the idea of `us and them' and work together".
His term in power ended in disaster just two years later when, faced with the threat of a miners' strike, industrial action and an embargo by Arab oil producers, he called an election 14 months ahead of schedule and lost his majority.
He tried unsuccessfully to form a minority government with the Liberals, and the Labour prime minister, Harold Wilson, was returned to Number 10. Margaret Thatcher later ousted Heath as party leader.
Also departing Parliament is another former Conservative prime minister, John Major. He took over as leader of the party after securing a surprise victory in the 1990 battle to take over from Thatcher. Having arrived at Downing Street via the Foreign Office and the Treasury with a relatively low political profile outside the Westminster village, Major none the less won the 1992 election.
He saw his 21-seat majority gradually whittled away and following a sustained challenge to his leadership from Tory euro-sceptics, decided to put his leadership to the test. He comfortably resisted the challenge from John Redwood but went on to oversee the party's shambolic performance at the 1997 election which saw Labour sweep to power.
The most popular figure in Tony Blair's government, the former Northern Ireland secretary, Mo Mowlam, leaves front-line politics this year. She fought the 1997 election after recovering from a brain tumour, and it was her boisterous, feisty style that secured her the Northern Ireland posting. But she later fell from favour among many Ulster unionists and was replaced in 1999 by Peter Mandelson.
The other former Northern Ireland secretaries leaving Westminster are the Conservative figures, Tom King and Peter Brooke. King said recently that he had served as an MP for 30 years "and I think that is long enough".
Appointed to the Northern Ireland post in 1985, King arrived amid Unionist anger over the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and spent three years trying to bring the political parties to the talks table.
Brooke's period in Northern Ireland was overshadowed by his decision in 1992 to sing on Gay Byrne's RTE show within hours of an IRA attack on eight builders in Co Tyrone. He also served as National Heritage secretary.
Other MPs leaving the Commons include the Ulster Unionist security spokesman, Ken Maginnis, the Conservative MP, Teresa Gorman, and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.