Dorries accused of focusing on book and TV career more than Mid Bedfordshire constituents

Nadine Dorries has been told to resign her parliamentary seat immediately by a town council which accused her of focusing more on her "political manoeuvres to embarrass the government” than her own constituents.

The Tory former Cabinet minister announced her intention to quit as an MP last month after she failed to receive a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, but is yet to do so formally.

Flitwick Town Council called on Ms Dorries “to immediately vacate your seat” amid “concerns and frustration” about her focus on her TV work and the “continuing lack of representation” for voters.

In a strongly worded letter, the councillors 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.

“Rather than representing constituents, the council is concerned that your focus appears to have been firmly on your television show, upcoming book and political manoeuvres to embarrass the government for not appointing you to the House of Lords.

“Councillors noted that your behaviour widely reported in the press is not in line with the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by Lord Nolan in 1995.”

Ms Dorries' office has been approached for comment.

The council added that the residents of Flitwick, which with a population of around 13,800 represents the largest concentration of voters in the constituency, “desperately need effective representation now”.

“Flitwick Town Council calls on you to immediately vacate your seat to allow a by-election.”

Ms Dorries announced her exit from Westminster on 9 June, but a week later said she would stay on while she investigated why she was denied a seat in the House of Lords as part of the former prime minister’s honours list.

That has sparked a flurry of campaigning in the constituency, which has been visited by Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, while the Conservative candidate to succeed Ms Dorries has also been announced.

The staunch ally of Mr Johnson hosts a weekly chat show on Talk TV and has written a book titled The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson, due to be published days before the Conservative Party conference in September.

Mid Bedfordshire has been held by Ms Dorries since 2005 and the Conservative Party generally since 1931.

The Tories last week lost two by-elections, in Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and Frome, but narrowly hung on to the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat vacated by Mr Johnson.

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