Former Tory politician Chris Pincher resigns as MP after losing appeal
Ishi Sunak has a second by-election to defend after former Tory leader Chris Pincher resigned as an MP after losing his appeal against a suspension for drunkenly groping two men.
The Prime Minister admitted they will be “difficult” for his Conservative Party as it lags far behind Labor in national polls, although both seats were previously considered safe for the Tories.
Mr Pincher said he did not want to cause “further uncertainty” to his constituents in Tamworth, Staffordshire, before formally submitting his resignation to the Treasury.
The Conservatives will have to decide when the by-election will take place, but it could be set for October 19, when former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire constituency will be contested.
Mr Pincher had sought to reduce the eight-week suspension recommended by the Commons Standards Committee over an “outrageous case of sexual misconduct” at London’s exclusive Carlton Club last year, which could trigger a by-election.
But Parliament’s Independent Panel of Experts (IEP) rejected his appeal on Monday.
In a statement to the PA news agency, the former deputy chief whip said: “I have already said that I will not be standing at the next general election.
“However, following the independent expert panel’s decision, I wanted to speak to my office team and family.
“I don’t want my constituents to be further unsettled and have therefore made arrangements to resign and leave the House of Commons.
“Tamworth is a wonderful place and it was an honor to represent its people.”
Mid-term by-elections are always difficult for incumbent governments and this will be no different for them
Under the outdated procedure of leaving the House of Commons early, Mr Pincher wrote to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt before the Treasury appointed him administrator and bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
The last person to hold the nominal title was former Tory peer David Warburton, who emerged after admitting to using cocaine despite being accused of sexual misconduct, which he denied.
The Tories’ fight to retain the seat has been complicated by the fact that the candidate they have put forward for the next general election in Tamworth is Eddie Hughes, the current Tory MP for Walsall North.
Mr Hughes ruled out fighting the by-election, saying he was “committed to my constituents until the next general election”.
The Conservatives said they would hold a selection process for the Tamworth candidate, but what will happen to Mr Hughes if the Tories win the seat is uncertain as Walsall North will be effectively abolished in the constituency boundaries review.
The Standards Committee found in July that Mr Pincher’s behavior last summer was “deeply damaging” and amounted to an abuse of power.
His actions were described as “unwanted, inappropriate and disturbing.”
The eight-week suspension would have triggered a recall petition if approved by MPs, which was almost inevitable.
A by-election would have taken place if the petition had been signed by 10% of voters.
Mr. Pincher appealed the punishment, arguing it was disproportionate, but the IEP said Mr. Pincher’s arguments were “misunderstood or wrong” and supported the board’s proposed sanction.
He resigned from his government post after the incident, which proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister, as he was angered by his handling of the matter.
Mr Pincher subsequently lost the Tory party, meaning he sits in the House of Commons as an independent.
Since he resigned as deputy chief whip, taxpayers have paid him £99,184 in salary and £7,920 in ministerial allowance, while he has claimed £13,860 in rent as expenses.
Ms Dorries’ acrimonious exit from the House of Commons last week has already raised the prospect of a by-election in Mid Bedfordshire on October 19.
The Tories have held the seat since 1931 and Ms Dorries retained it in 2019 with 24,664 votes ahead of second-place Labor.
But the Conservatives are wary of any electoral test after the party has long lagged far behind Labor in national polls.
Mr Pincher has been comfortably elected by Tamworth residents since 2010 and won a majority of 19,634 votes at the last general election.
Asked about his party’s prospects in the by-election, Mr Sunak told reporters in Warwick: “Mid-term elections are always difficult for incumbent governments and this will be no different, but we will continue to work hard to deliver the results.” the British people.”
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said he hoped to secure the seat for his party, which is leading the Tories by about 18 percentage points in national polls.
He said the people of Tamworth had been “deeply disappointed” by Mr Pincher and the Tories.
“The contrast couldn’t be greater this week, could it? I have just put my top team on the table for the reshuffle that will take us into the election, focusing on the country.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tamworth-rishi-sunak-prime-minister-eddie-hughes-david-warburton-b1105619.html Former Tory politician Chris Pincher resigns as MP after losing appeal
