The Conservatives have chosen the partner of disgraced ex-MP Peter Bone to fight a by-election to replace him.
Mr Bone’s constituents used a recall petition to kick him out of parliament in December, after he was found to have indecently exposed himself to a staff member and trapped him in the bathroom of a hotel room.
Parliament’s standards chief upheld five claims of bullying and one of sexual misconduct against the leading Brexit backer. Mr Bone, 71, has always denied the allegations against him.
Peter Bone with Helen Harrison, out campaigning in 2017— (Fabio De Paola/Shutterstock)
Now his girlfriend Helen Harrison, a Tory councillor in Northamptonshire, has been selected as the party’s candidate for the seat.
Tory Party chair Richard Holden wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations to Cllr Helen Harrison on being selected for #Wellingborough at a packed meeting of Conservative members this afternoon.”
The recall petition triggered by Mr Bone’s suspension was backed by 13.2 per cent of eligible voters – 10,505 people – in his constituency, surpassing the 10 per cent threshold needed for a by-election. A date will be set once MPs return to Parliament this week after the Christmas holidays.
It was reported late last year that Mr Bone was threatening to run as an independent in the by-election, a move that would have split the Tory vote, unless his girlfriend was added to the candidate shortlist.
Mr Bone had reportedly been threatening to run as an independent— (PA Wire)
Mr Bone was found by parliament’s behaviour watchdog the Independent Expert Panel to have “committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a staff member in 2012 and 2013. The panel heard that he “verbally belittled, ridiculed, abused and humiliated” an employee and “repeatedly physically struck and threw things” at him.
Mr Bone won the Wellingborough seat by 18,540 votes in 2019, but the Tories have lost by-elections with even larger majorities in recent months. Labour overturned a majority of more than 24,000 to win the Mid-Bedfordshire seat previously held by Nadine Dorries.
The Conservatives face two upcoming by-elections. Chris Skidmore, the former net zero tsar and an ex-energy minister, has said he will resign the Conservative whip and stand down as an MP as soon as possible.
In a scathing exit statement, he said he could no longer continue as a Tory or “condone” the government because the PM’s environmental stance is “wrong and will cause future harm”.
The Tories could also struggle to hold his seat of Kingswood, in Gloucestershire, despite a majority of 11,000.
Gen Kitchen is the Labour party candidate for Wellingborough— (PA)
One complicating factor is that candidates who win upcoming by-elections will only be an MP for a matter of months before they have to fight for their seat again at an upcoming general election.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: “Rishi Sunak caving to Peter Bone’s demand to select his partner so he doesn’t run as an independent shows just how weak the Prime Minister is.
“Rishi Sunak is too weak to lead his own party, let alone the country. The people of Wellingborough deserve the best possible candidate to represent them, not the product of a quick political fix.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “The standards of behaviour in the Conservative Party are now so low that a disgraced MP can now seemingly hand-pick their successor, based on a reported threat of splitting the vote.
“The stench of sleaze and scandal is embedded into Rishi Sunak’s government. The country has had enough. We need a general election.”
