Peter Bone MP loses seat as recall petition triggers by-election

MP Peter Bone has lost his seat after being removed by constituents in a recall petition, meaning a by-election will be held next year.

The move came after he was suspended as an MP over bullying and sexual misconduct claims, which he denies.

Mr Bone turned Wellingborough in Northamptonshire into a safe Tory seat after becoming its MP in 2005.

But the by-election will be seen as a tough test for Rishi Sunak, with the Tories trailing Labour in the polls.

The recall petition was prompted by Mr Bone's suspension from the House of Commons for six weeks for breaching the code of conduct for MPs.

The Conservative Party had withdrawn the whip from Mr Bone, meaning he had been sitting as an independent MP in Parliament.

The petition was signed by 13.2% of eligible voters in the constituency, above the 10% threshold required for Mr Bone to lose his seat.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Bone said the majority of the electorate in the constituency had chosen not to sign the recall petition, describing the process as "bizarre".

He said the allegations that led to the recall petition were "totally untrue and without foundation".

"I will have more to say on these matters in the new year," Mr Bone wrote.

What is a recall petition?

Recall petitions lets voters remove an MP between general elections.

A petition is triggered if an MP is convicted of a crime or suspended from the Commons for more than 10 days. If 10% of eligible voters in the constituency sign the petition, it triggers a by-election - where people can vote for a new MP.

Mr Bone could choose to contest the seat and did not confirm in his statement whether he would do so or not.

He retained the seat at the last general election in 2019 with a majority of 18,540.

Labour's chair, Anneliese Dodds, said the result of the recall petition showed "Wellingborough is ready for change".

She said Mr Bone "has dragged his constituents through a lengthy recall petition rather than doing the right thing and offering his resignation".

Labour has picked councillor Gen Kitchen as its candidate for the seat, while the Lib Dems have selected former Northamptonshire Police officer Ana Savage Gunn.

The coming by-election in Wellingborough - not expected to be held before February - will be the 20th such vote since the last general election in 2019.

There have been six by-elections so far this year, with Labour winning four, and the Lib Dems and Conservatives each taking one.

The prime minister suffered major blows in the Tamworth and Selby and Ainsty by-elections, when Labour overturned majorities of more than 20,000 to take the seats.

Last month, an investigation by Parliament's behavioural watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, found Mr Bone had broken sexual misconduct rules by indecently exposing himself to a staff member during an overseas trip.

It also upheld five allegations of bullying, including verbally belittling the member of staff, physically striking him and throwing things at him.

Mr Bone appealed against the investigation's findings, arguing it had been flawed. However, his appeal was dismissed.

The staff member told the BBC "physical, emotional and psychological abuse" by the MP left him a "broken shell of the young man I once was".

Mr Bone has denied the allegations.

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