Nadine Dorries says she will not resign from Commons until she has seen correspondence about Lords bid
Nadine Dorries is to delay her resignation as an MP until she has seen all correspondence between officials about her ill-feted House of Lords bid.
The former Culture Secretary claimed last week that she was resigning as an MP âwith immediate effectâ.
But on Wednesday night she said she would not quit the Commons until she had received âWhatsApps, text messages, all emails and minutes of meetingsâ regarding herself from a Subject Access Request.
No 10 called on her to quit as soon as possible, suggesting that she needs to give âcertaintyâ to her voters in Mid Bedfordshire.
Ms Dorries said she wanted to put an end to âmuch speculationâ about when she would formally quit the Commons.
She wrote on social media: âI am awaiting responses to my Subject Access Requests submitted to HOLAC, Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office. where I will then take the time to properly consider the information I am provided.
âI have requested copies of WhatsAppâs, text messages, all emails and minutes of meetings both formal and informal with names of senior figures un redacted.â
The delay means that the by-election in her constituency is unlikely to be held on the same day as the contests in Uxbridge and South Ruislip and Selby and Ainsty.
If the resignation comes during summer recess then a by-election would be in the autumn, causing difficulty for the Conservatives as they prepare for what is expected to be their final party conference before the next general election.
The Liberal Democrats have said they believe they could take the constituency, following other large swings in Conservative-held areas to the party. Ms Dorries won the seat in 2019 with a majority of 24,664 votes.
The row about her proposed elevation to the House of Lords came about because she claims No 10 said she could join the upper chamber after the next general election without having to quit. The Lords watchdog blocked her peerage because such a move was judged to be impossible.
Ms Dorries said: âIt is absolutely my intention to resign, but given what I know to be true and the number of varying and conflicting statements issued by No10 since the weekend, this process is now sadly necessary.â