Nadine Dorries standing down as MP with ‘rapid impact’ triggering by-election

Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries has introduced she is standing down as an MP “with immediate effect”.

The ex-culture secretary and shut ally of Boris Johnson stated it had been “an honour” to serve in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency “but it is now time for another to take the reins”.

Ms Dorries had already stated she will not be contesting her seat on the subsequent election, blaming the “sheer stupidity” of her colleagues who “got rid” of the previous prime minister.

The shock resignation means there’ll a by-election in her constituency – one thing Ms Dorries stated was the “last thing” she needed to occur simply hours earlier than her announcement.

In a cryptic interview on her TalkTV present on Friday afternoon, Ms Dorries admitted “something significant did happen that changed my mind” however refused to be drawn on what that was.

Asked about experiences the federal government had lower her from Mr Johnson’s honours record, which is predicted imminently, she stated: “A prime minister doesn’t have the ability to change the list of a former prime minister.”

Ms Dorries added {that a} “new life is opening up” in entrance of her, together with a brand new granddaughter, and so now’s the time to “do the right thing”.

She stated she felt a “a sense of relief” having resigned as a result of she is sad with what has occurred within the Tory occasion over the past yr – specifically the defenestration of Mr Johnson as PM and Rishi Sunak’s appointment.

Ms Dorries has served as MP for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005 and can also be a best-selling novelist.

She was promoted to tradition secretary throughout Mr Johnson’s premiership, when she lead the now-ditched plans to privatise Channel 4.

There has been months of hypothesis that she was to be handed a peerage in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours record, however current experiences steered she was taken off it by the federal government on the eleventh hour to swerve an early election battle in her seat.

Hours earlier than her announcement, Ms Dorries informed her TalkTV present that she had not heard something however didn’t count on to be coming into the Lords “any time soon”.

She added: “There is a process and the last thing I would want to do would be to cause a by-election in my constituency.”

According to The Times, Ms Dorries was scrapped from the honours record alongside former Cop26 president Alok Sharma as a result of fears of the damaging impression two by-elections may have on the Tories, who’re flailing behind Labour within the polls.

Both MPs would have needed to stand down to be able to settle for the peerage.

The prospects of such an electoral check could be tougher in Sir Alok’s marginal Reading West constituency, the place he has a 4,000-vote majority over Labour.

Ms Dorries has a big majority in her constituency, successful 60% of the vote on the 2019 common election.

Shortly after her announcement, well being minister Will Quince additionally revealed he will not be preventing his seat on the subsequent election.

He stated: “My decision is driven by my desire to put my family and daughters first as they grow up. I am incredibly proud of what my team and I have achieved and delivered for Colchester.”

He is the 58th present MP to declare they won’t contest the following election – 37 of that are serving Conservatives.