Dorries awaits clarification on peerage before resigning as MP

The former culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, has stated that she will not officially step down until she receives clarification from Downing Street regarding why her peerage was not granted. In a series 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” but added that she is currently 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, text 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.” Nadine Dorries has insinuated that “sinister forces” were responsible for the omission of her name, 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 team prevented the trio from receiving peerages. Dorries accuses Number 10 officials of not communicating vital information from the Lords’ vetting body, which would have required her to agree to resign from the Commons and join the upper chamber within six months or be excluded from the list.

In a passionate Daily Mail article on Tuesday, Dorries stated: “I believe sinister forces conspired against me and have left me heartbroken – but that emotion gives me all the strength I need to keep on fighting.”

Following the perceived snub, Nadine Dorries announced her decision to step down as an MP, triggering a by-election in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Boris Johnson and Nigel Adams similarly resigned on Monday. As a result, Conservative Chief Whip Simon Hart arranged a motion for by-elections in Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and Adams’s Selby and Ainsty seat. These votes are scheduled to take place within 21 to 27 working days, potentially on either 13 or 20 July.

However, the by-election in Dorries’s Mid Bedfordshire constituency may be postponed until the later part of the year if she fails to officially resign. This could 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 think it would be good for her constituency in Mid Bedfordshire… if they could have proper representation, because Nadine’s barely been seen in parliament these last six months while she’s been earning money on telly.”

When asked about their level of frustration, Sunak’s press secretary responded: “It’s obviously unusual to have an MP say they will resign with immediate effect and for that not to take place.” The Prime Minister has stated that the people of Mid Bedfordshire require proper representation and that he is looking forward to backing the Conservative candidate in the by-election.