Suspended Tory MP Peter Bone loses seat in recall petition triggering fresh by-election headache for Sunak
19 December 2023, 20:36 | Updated: 19 December 2023, 21:47
Ex-Tory MP Peter Bone has lost his seat in a recall petition, triggering a fresh by-election headache for the prime minister.
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Constituents in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire have decided they want a new MP after a Parliamentary investigation found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.
He was suspended from the House of Commons for six weeks and had the Tory whip removed, meaning he had been acting as an independent MP.
In a statement published on social media, Mr Bone said having a by-election seemed "bizarre as 86.8% of the electorate did not want to remove me from office, nor for there to be a by-election, and yet we are still to have one".
The veteran politician, who has been spotted in Westminster in recent days, said the allegations against him were "totally untrue and without foundation".
He thanked those who had "contacted me to offer their support from across the political spectrum".
A recall petition is triggered when an MP is suspended from the Commons for ten or more days.
Despite this, Mr Bone was later seen campaigning with the Tory party, despite his suspension.
Read More: Sunak faces another by-election after standards watchdog recommends 35-day suspension for Tory MP
The Conservatives have taken a bruising in a number of by-elections that have taken place this year.
In the summer, they lost Selby and Ainsty to the Labour Party, and Somerton and Frome to the Liberal Democrats.
In October, they lost Mid Bedforshire and Tamworth to the Labour party, who overturned huge Tory majorities.
