The former culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, has acknowledged that she is not going to formally step down till she receives clarification from Downing Street concerning why her peerage was not granted. In a collection of tweets, Dorries addressed speculations surrounding her decision to delay her resignation from the House of Commons, which she initially announced her intentions to do on Friday. She emphasised it is “absolutely my intention to resign” however added that she is presently awaiting answers from the House of Lords Appointments Committee (HOLAC), Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, and the Cabinet Office.
Dorries posted on Twitter: “I have requested copies of WhatsApps, textual content messages, all emails and minutes of meetings both formal and informal with names of senior figures unredacted.” She claimed that her understanding of the incident made this step “sadly necessary.” Off-limits has insinuated that “sinister forces” had been liable for the omission of her title, along with Tory MP Nigel Adams and former COP26 president Sir Alok Sharma, from Boris Johnson’s controversial resignation honours list.
Downing Street has denied allegations that Rishi Sunak or any members of his Number 10 group prevented the trio from receiving peerages. Quick accuses Number 10 officers of not speaking vital data from the Lords’ vetting body, which might have required her to conform to resign from the Commons and be part of the upper chamber inside six months or be excluded from the list.
In a passionate Daily Mail article on Tuesday, Dorries stated: “I consider sinister forces conspired against me and have left me heartbroken – but that emotion provides me all the power I have to keep on fighting.”
Following the perceived snub, Nadine Dorries announced her choice to step down as an MP, triggering a by-election in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Boris Johnson and Nigel Adams equally resigned on Monday. As a end result, Conservative Chief Whip Simon Hart organized a movement for by-elections in Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and Adams’s Selby and Ainsty seat. These votes are scheduled to happen within 21 to 27 working days, potentially on both 13 or 20 July.
However, the by-election in Dorries’s Mid Bedfordshire constituency could additionally be postponed until the later part of the year if she fails to formally resign. This might extend the turmoil Rishi Sunak faces, as he attempts to defend three Conservative seats amid poor polling and public conflict with Johnson.
On Wednesday, Tory MP Aaron Bell expressed his opinion on BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “I suppose it might be good for her constituency in Mid Bedfordshire… if they may have proper representation, as a result of Nadine’s barely been seen in parliament these final six months while she’s been incomes money on telly.”