Senior Tories urge Rishi Sunak to sack Nadine Dorries as Lib Dems hint at removing her

Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure to boot absentee MP Nadine Dorries from the Conservative Party, with two senior Tories, the Liberal Democrats and Labour all joining two of her local councils in demanding her resignation.

Former Conservative minister Caroline Nokes is urging the prime minister to withdraw the whip from Ms Dorries, who said she was resigning from Parliament with immediate effect over two months ago.

"She shouldn't have the Tory whip if she's made it plain that she no longer wishes to be a Conservative MP but can't take that final step towards resignation," Ms Nokes told Times Radio.

Ms Dorries, who has held her Commons seat since 2005, has not spoken in Parliament in 412 days. Her last contribution was on July 7, the day Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister.

"Her heart's not in it," Ms Nokes said, "and if your heart's not in it, then you shouldn't be taking up a seat that somebody who wishes to represent the people of that [constituency] with heart and soul could be doing".

Former deputy prime minister Damian Green agreed she should resign, telling Times Radio: "I just think she's not just damaging Parliament, she is damaging her own reputation as well, I think.

"Having said she's going to go, it would be in everyone's interest if she just went."

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick previously said it was time for his colleague to quit, as her constituents were not “being properly represented”.

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey suggests his party could force her out

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who fancies his party's chances of stealing Mid Bedfordshire from the Tories when a by-election is eventually held, suggested in an interview that his party could force her out if she remained an MP.

“Rishi Sunak should sack Nadine Dorries today. He should have done it weeks ago," he said.

“Nadine is letting down the people of Mid Bedfordshire. She’s totally absent. She said she’d resign and she doesn’t. People are pretty angry locally.”

Asked if his party would table a motion to suspend her when MPs return from recess in less than two weeks, Mr Davey said: "Wait and see what happens when Parliament gets back."

It comes after a plan to remove her and any other absentee MPs was backed by the chair of the Commons standards committee.

Labour MP Chris Bryant said an old rule preventing MPs from going "out of town without leave of the house" should be reinstated.

He said it would be a "perfectly legitimate" process, which he outlined in his new book 'Code of Conduct: Why We Need to Fix Parliament - and How to Do It'.

Watch Ed Davey respond to questions about removing Nadine Dorries

“If the House nominated you, you had to attend. Thus when William Smith O’Brien refused to serve on a railway committee in 1846, the House had him detained overnight in the Clock Tower cell," he wrote

”A 10-day Commons suspension would trigger a recall petition, giving Dorries’ local constituents the chance to vote for a by-election.”

On Monday Mr Sunak's official spokesman was asked if he would back a move in Parliament to force Ms Dorries to step down.

“I think you’ve heard from a number of ministers on this already. I don’t think I’ve much to add beyond what we’ve said before,” he told reporters.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says Sunak must 'get a grip' on Dorries situation

Sir Keir Starmer has echoed Sir Ed in calling for Mr Sunak to remove the whip from Ms Dorries, saying it is “shameful” that she continues to have the Conservative whip.

Asked about Ms Dorries by LBC, the Labour leader said: “I think she should just go.

“I have been in Mid Bedfordshire talking to some of her constituents.”

He added: “We have got Peter Kyle who is the MP for Brighton (Hove), he is our political lead in Mid Bedfordshire and he is doing more work than Nadine Dorries up there.”

Sir Keir went on: “But she said she would resign with immediate effect.

“I don’t know what her dictionary definition of immediate effect is, but 10 weeks after the event doesn’t seem to be immediate effect.

“She has got to go, give Mid Bedfordshire an MP who will actually stand up for them, fight for them, because at the moment she is absolutely absent.

“I would say to Rishi Sunak, get a grip of this.

“This is one of your MPs, do something about it, force the issue and get on with it.”

Local councils in Dorries' constituency urge her to go

On Monday, Shefford Town Council in Mid Bedfordshire joined Flitwick Town Council in expressing frustration over what they see as a “continuing lack of representation” from their local MP.

In a letter published on Twitter, now known as X, the council raised concerns about her limited involvement in local events and services.

The letter, signed by Town Mayor of Shefford Ken Pollard, said the town was concerned about the "continuing lack of representation for the people of Mid Bedfordshire at Westminster".

Two weeks earlier a banner demanding “Dosser Dorries Out” went up in Flitwick.

In a letter to her, Flitwick Town Council said: “The last time you spoke in the Commons was 7 June 2022.

"You have not maintained a constituency office for a considerable time, and it’s widely understood that you have not held a surgery in Flitwick since March 2020.”

What does Prime Minister Sunak think?

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the former culture secretary’s voters “aren’t being properly represented”.

“I think being a Member of Parliament is a special privilege. You sign up for a term in office,” he said.

Speaking on LBC at the start of August, he said: “I think people deserve to have an MP that represents them wherever they are.

“It’s just making sure your MP is engaging with you, representing you, whether that’s speaking in Parliament or being present in their constituencies doing surgeries, answering your letters.

“That’s the job of an MP and all MPs should be held to that standard.”

Asked if that meant Ms Dorries was failing her constituents, Mr Sunak said: “Well, at the moment, people aren’t being properly represented.”

Which party is likely to win in Mid Bedfordshire?

Labour is hopeful of snatching the seat and mirroring its success in the recent Selby and Ainsty by-election, where the party overturned a huge 20,000 Conservative majority.

But the Lib Dems also believe they have the chance of springing another by-election shock after flipping a 19,000 blue majority in Somerton and Frome.

Ms Dorries secured a 24,000 majority in 2019 in Mid Bedfordshire, which the Conservative Party has held since 1931.

The former Cabinet minister, who once appeared on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, was one of Mr Johnson's biggest supporters and announced she was quitting Parliament on the same day he did; June 9, 2023.

The 66-year-old said she was quitting in protest because Prime Minister Sunak had blocked a House of Lords appointment that Mr Johnson attempted to award her.

But she reversed course a week later and announced her intention to remain in office temporarily, citing the need to investigate the reasons behind her peerage being blocked.

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