Nadine Dorries: Rishi Sunak criticises former minister over resignation limbo – ‘people aren’t being represented’ | Politics News
The prime minister has criticised Nadine Dorries for failing her constituents while they wait for the MP to formalise her resignation.
The former culture secretary announced on 9 June that she would be standing down “with immediate effect”, just ahead of her close ally Boris Johnson’s own exit from parliament.
But almost eight weeks later, she still has not officially quit, and remains the representative for Mid Bedfordshire.
Politics live: ‘Mad’ not to issue drilling licenses, claims minister
Asked about the situation on LBC, Rishi Sunak said: “I think people deserve to have an MP that represents them wherever they are.
“And it’s just making sure that your MP is engaging with you, representing you, whether that’s speaking in parliament or being present in their constituencies, doing surgeries, answering your letters.
“That’s the job of an MP and all MPs should be held to that standard.”
Asked if Ms Dorries was failing on those criteria, the prime minister replied: “At the moment, people aren’t being properly represented.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rishi Sunak heads to California with family
Last week, a council within Ms Dorries’s constituency wrote her a letter to demand her resignation, saying “residents desperately need effective representation now”.
Flitwick Town Council claimed the MP had not held a surgery in the town since March 2020 and had not maintained a constituency office “for a considerable time”, as well as not speaking in parliament.
Click to subscribe to the Sophy Ridge on Sunday podcast
The town mayor, Councillor Andy Snape, said her “absence and lack of interest/contribution” had held back local projects, as he hit out at her living in the Cotswolds rather than in her constituency.
He also said demands had been growing for her to “do the right thing rather than continue to hold the people of Mid Bedfordshire to ransom while she plays political games for personal gain”.
Read more:
Council demands Nadine Dorries resigns ‘immediately’
Dorries faces questions over claims she sent ‘forceful communications’ to civil servants after peerages snub
In a statement on social media, Councillor Snape added: “Her focus appears to be firmly on her TalkTV show, her new Daily Mail column, and, more recently, her upcoming tell-all book and exerting as much pressure as possible to embarrass the government into giving her a peerage.
“Regardless of your political viewpoint, Mid Bedfordshire residents desperately need representation at Westminster. It’s time for Dorries to put Mid Bedfordshire first and let someone else have a go.”
Sky News has approached Nadine Dorries for comment.
