Nadine Dorries has formally quit as an MP after the Treasury confirmed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has appointed her to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern, the archaic mechanism for quitting the Commons.
It comes after the former culture secretary finally handed in her resignation over the weekend, with a by-election now set to be scheduled in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats are already campaigning for the seat, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak facing the prospect of another difficult electoral test for the Conservatives in a nominally safe constituency.
Her formal exit means a motion called a “writ” can be moved when Parliament returns on September 4, giving between 21 and 27 working days for the by-election.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will visit Mid Bedfordshire later on Tuesday, his fourth campaign stop in the seat since Ms Dorries originally announced her plan to depart and the first since she formally stood down.
While there he will call for increased funding to expand capacity at local GP practices.
“The people of Mid Bedfordshire have been taken for granted for too long,” Sir Ed said.
“From not being able to see a GP to having an absent MP, it’s clear this part of the world has been completely ignored by the Conservatives.
“People across Bedfordshire should be able to get an appointment with their doctor when they need it – instead we have a Government that just can’t get the basics right.
“The Liberal Democrats are the clear challengers in this by-election, every vote for our local champion Emma Holland-Lindsay will be a vote to send a message to the Conservatives that enough is enough.”
Labour’s candidate Alistair Strathern was also campaigning over the bank holiday weekend.
The party is seeking to overturn a 24,000 majority in the seat to see off the Tories.
The departure of Ms Dorries came after weeks of pressure on her to quit and act on her June 9 pledge to step down with “immediate effect” in protest at not getting a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.
The Johnson loyalist resigned over the weekend with a scathing attack on Mr Sunak.
The Prime Minister said on Tuesday that he was “grateful” to Ms Dorries “for her service both as an MP and a minister”.
“We are looking forward, and delighted to support our fantastic candidate in Mid Beds, Festus Akinbusoye, who is the local candidate, the only local candidate in this election; also the local police and crime commissioner.
The Mid Bedfordshire poll comes in the wake of two major Government by-election defeats in July, when Labour overturned a 20,000 majority in Selby and Ainsty and the Liberal Democrats flipped a 19,000 blue majority in Somerton and Frome.
Mr Sunak’s party did manage to hang on to Mr Johnson’s old Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, but with a much-reduced majority.
I know that from doors that I’ve knocked on we will be fighting hard for every vote. But you’re right, it’s tough mid-term by-elections, it won’t be an easy fight— Mark Harper, Transport Secretary
Transport Secretary Mark Harper admitted the by-election would be “tough”, telling TalkTV on Tuesday: “All mid-term by-elections are tough.
“We’ve got a fantastic candidate in Festus (Akinbusoye), who’s the police and crime commissioner there.
“He’s well known, well respected and well liked. I know that from doors that I’ve knocked on we will be fighting hard for every vote. But you’re right, it’s tough mid-term by-elections, it won’t be an easy fight.
“But we’re going to go out there and give it everything we’ve got.”
Downing Street on Tuesday rejected Ms Dorries’ criticism that the Prime Minister has presided over a “zombie Parliament”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that Mr Sunak could point to a number of achievements, including securing the Windsor Framework deal with the EU and making headway in halving inflation.
He said Mr Sunak was “very much focused… on delivering for the public”.
