I really do not understand what the people of Flitwick were expecting. The Tory party is always about jam tomorrow. Expecting them to actually follow through with a promise was asking more than they should imo.
Joking aside though, we need a mechanism for rogue MPs like this. We need a cross party committee set up after each GE to make the call when an MP gets out of line in this fashion.
The Tories like to spout about minimum terms of service. Well constituents need those also. People rely on an MP to get representation at times when they are desperate. Swanning off for weeks to get a backhander from “I’m a celebrity” etc, or just refusing to work entirely in this fashion should never be acceptable.
There is a mechanism to trigger a by-election for cases like this - in fact, there was a news article just the other day where this happened elsewhere: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-66376464
I think (this was pointed out to me in an older thread) that a Recall Petition is only applicable when the MP in question has broken the law.
https://erskinemay.parliament.uk/section/4912/recall-of-mps/ If she was suspended from parliament (not just the party) then she would meet the conditions for recall. I don’t think she has been suspended, yet.
Also; 1/10 of voters is a high bar to meet in the Tory heartland.
That does not apply here.
When will a recall petition be triggered?
The Act introduces a process by which an MP will lose their seat in the House of Commons if a petition to recall them is successful.
The Petition Officer will open a recall petition after the Speaker of the House of Commons notifies them that an MP has been:
- convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence (including a suspended sentence) or ordered to be detained, other than solely under mental health legislation
- barred from the House of Commons for 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days, or
- convicted of providing false or misleading information for allowance claims under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009.
