Jailed MP Fiona Onasanya votes in Commons for first time since release

Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya voted in the Commons for the first time since her release from prison last month.

The member for Peterborough travelled to Parliament to vote against the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal.

She has faced calls to step down and allow a by-election to take place in her constituency – but has refused, and has maintained her innocence throughout her prosecution.

Ms Onasnaya was sentenced to three months in jail in January after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

The 35-year-old, who was elected as a Labour MP, served less than four weeks for lying about who was driving her car when it was caught speeding in July 2017.

She served her sentence at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey and was released on February 26.

Ms Onasanya submitted an appeal against her conviction, but it was thrown out by judge Sir Brian Leveson at the Royal Courts of Justice last week.

That decision allowed House of Commons Speaker John Bercow to begin the formal process for a recall petition, which will allow her constituents to trigger a by-election if more than 10% of local voters sign it.

The recall petition will be open for six weeks from March 19 until May 1.

She won the seat in the 2017 election with a narrow majority of 607, after defeating the Conservative incumbent Stewart Jackson.