Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has quit as an MP - hours after saying she didn't want to trigger a by-election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak now faces another early test at the polls.
The move comes after months-long speculation that the former culture secretary was to be handed a peerage in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list, although recent reporting suggested she was cut from the list by the Government at the 11th hour to swerve an early election battle in her seat. The former prime minister's long-awaited list, which is said to include around 50 names, is expected to be released imminently.
Ms Dorries tweeted on Friday afternoon: "I have today informed the chief whip that I am standing down as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, with immediate effect. It has been an honour to serve as the MP for such a wonderful constituency but it is now time for another to take the reins."
Ms Dorries, who had previously detailed her plan to quit as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire at the next election, has a majority of more than 24,600 over the main Opposition party. Her decision came hours after she said she said in an interview that she did not want to trigger a by-election.
Speaking to TalkTV earlier on Friday, Ms Dorries said she had not heard anything but did not expect to be entering the Lords “any time soon”.
“I know nothing,” she said. “There is a process and the last thing I would want to do would be to cause a by-election in my constituency. I don’t believe I will be going into the House of Lords any time soon.”
Asked later about her change of mind, she said: "Something significant did happen to change my mind."
She did not say what that was.
