Rishi Sunak faces prospect of losing another safe seat to Labour after MP's suspension
The PM lost two more Commons seats last week in by-elections - and could be on the brink of another safe seat being handed over to Labour.
Wednesday 25 October 2023 20:25, UK
This is another headache for Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party, which is already reeling from two by-election defeats last week - and now it is facing the prospect of another one in Wellingborough.
Peter Bone, the sitting MP, will now face a recall petition. If that is signed by at least 10% of the electorate (which is likely) a by-election will be triggered. Either way, Peter Bone's political career is probably over.
This all relates to alleged bullying and sexual misconduct dating back to 2012, claims Mr Bone maintains are false.
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However, Parliament's independent expert panel investigated the issue and recommended that he be suspended for six weeks.
That report found Mr Bone's alleged bullying "involved violence, shouting and swearing, mocking, belittling and humiliating behaviour, and ostracism…".
It added: "This wilful pattern of bullying also included an unwanted incident of sexual misconduct, when the complainant was trapped in a room with the respondent in a hotel in Madrid, not knowing what was going to happen next.
"This was a deliberate and conscious abuse of power using a sexual mechanism: indecent exposure…"
MPs have now approved the recommendation for a six-week suspension. A suspension of at least 10 days allows constituents to organise a recall petition, which paves the way for the by-election process.
It's another unwelcome problem for the prime minister.
When he entered Number 10, Rishi Sunak pledged to restore integrity to public life, but he faces yet another by- election because of a sleaze scandal involving one of his party's MPs.
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It comes less than a week after his party was crushed in the Tamworth by-election, which was ultimately caused by groping allegations levelled against the Tory MP Chris Pincher.
It's something Labour is taking full advantage of. Lucy Powell, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, said: "Peter Bone should save his constituents the disruption of a recall petition and resign. The people of Wellingborough deserve an MP they can be proud of."
Tamworth was a seat with a 19,000 majority that was completely eroded by Labour.
Wellingborough boasts an 18,500 Tory majority, but it is by no means safe. Anyone taking a trip to Peter Bone's constituency office over the past few days may have spotted a P45 posted to the front window, asking him to leave.
If the last week of by-elections has shown us anything, it's that the concept of a Tory safe seat is becoming a fiction.