CALL-UP papers have landed on the doormat of MP for West Wiltshire Andrew Murrison.

The ex-Royal Navy surgeon commander has been told to report to a mobilisation centre and will soon be flying out to Iraq to assist British army medics in the Basra area - where he will spend the next month.

His call-up follows the government's announcement that hundreds of extra UK troops are to be deployed in the Gulf.

Father-of-five Dr Murrison, whose constituency includes the Mere area, said: "I shall be joining an increasing number of my constituents, who are serving in Iraq as regulars and reservists.

"Many of them have been there for most of the year and some are facing a second tour of duty.

"Fortunately, the upcoming party conference recess means that parliament will not be sitting for most of my time out there - thus minimising my work as an MP.

"My office colleagues will be handling a lot of the paperwork in my absence and will be in regular touch with me.

"Nonetheless, I am sure there will be a mountain of an in-tray to climb when I return."

Dr Murrison has been Tory MP for West Wilts since the last general election and takes a keen interest in military and medical matters.

Earlier this year, he defied the official Conservative Party line and refused to support the war in Iraq.

He argued that the evidence in what has now become known as the "dodgy dossier" was insufficient and that its claim of an imminent threat to the UK was suspect.

But Dr Murrison told the Journal: "Whatever we may have felt about the justification for the war, we cannot wind the clock back. The international community has a moral obligation to do all it can to restore stability and the rule of law and to facilitate the early transfer of power to the people of Iraq."