A Tory minister has called on Nadine Dorries to finally make good on her promise to quit the Commons.
Robert Jenrick said the Mid Bedfordshire MP’s constituents are not “being properly represented” while she remains in post.
Dorries, the former culture secretary, announced in June that she was resigning “with immediate effect” after being denied a seat in the House of Lords.
However, she has yet to formally stand down, despite not speaking in the Commons since July 2022 and failing to take part in any parliamentary votes since April.
Asked on Sky News if it was time for Dorries to go, immigration minister Jenrick said: “Yes. I think being a member of parliament is a special privilege, you sign up for a term in office, if you decide you want to leave parliament for whatever reason you need to get on and do that.
“I don’t think Nadine Dorries’s constituents are being properly represented. I hope she’ll reach that conclusion soon.”
But asked if she was an “embarrassment” to the Tory Party, Jenrick said: “I’m not going to get into a particular criticism of Nadine.
“My view as a member of parliament is it’s a real privilege to serve in parliament, you sign up to a term in office. It’s only in the most sparing circumstances when you should leave before you’ve fulfilled that commitment.
“But if you do, you should get on so that people in your constituency get the representation they deserve.”
HuffPost UK revealed last week that voters in Mid Bedfordshire had set up a petition demanding a change in the law so they can oust her as their MP.
Meanwhile, a video clip re-emerged yesterday showing Dorries tearing into MPs who don’t listen to their constituents.
And despite her continued absence from parliament, she also managed to find time to accuse Labour MP Chris Bryant of “publicity seeking” after he claimed to have been sexually assaulted by five of his colleagues.