Second council calls on Nadine Dorries to quit as Mid Bedfordshire MP immediately

A second council has called on Nadine Dorries to step down as MP immediately - more than two months after she said she would.

The Tory former cabinet minister announced her intention to quit in June after she failed to receive a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.

But the Mid Bedfordshire MP has yet to formally resign.

Shefford Town Council has now joined Flitwick Town Council in calling for her to step down.

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

It also highlighted the fact that Ms Dorries’ last contribution in the House of Commons was made last year, on 7 June.

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".

It continued: “In your role as the acting Member of Parliament of Mid Bedfordshire, residents of Shefford feel that, due to your scant interest in your constituency, your aversion to attending local events or services and your lack of a maintained constituency office, the local area has been ‘abandoned’ by yourself.

The letter added: “Our residents desperately need effective representation now, and Shefford Town Council calls on you to honour your commitment and tender your resignation immediately.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Nadine Dorries’ actions are a gross insult to the people of Mid Bedfordshire. Why on earth should their taxpayers’ money fund an MP who hasn’t worked in months?

“If Nadine Dorries had a shred of integrity left, she would stand down now and give local people a chance to elect a new MP who will actually do the job.

“It is disgraceful that she continues to have the Conservative Party whip. Clearly, Rishi Sunak thinks Nadine Dorries’ actions are still worthy of being a Conservative MP.”

Asked if the Prime Minister would back a move in Parliament to force Ms Dorries to step down, the PM’s spokesman said: “I’ve seen (some) sort of speculation around that.

"Obviously, we’re in recess. 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.”

Ms Dorries announced she would resign on June 9.

But a week later, she said she would remain in office temporarily. She said she needed to investigate the reasons behind her exclusion from a seat in the House of Lords.

Ms Dorries - known for her support for Mr Johnson - has been Mid Bedfordshire MP since 2005.

She has written a book called The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson, which is due to be published soon.

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