Nigel Farage has again moved to quash rumours he could stand in any by-election sparked by the conviction of a Labour MP for lying to the police to avoid a speeding charge.
Fiona Onasanya has been suspended from Labour and encouraged by the party to resign as she faces a possible jail sentence for perverting the course of justice.
If she does not resign she may be forced to stand down if she is handed a jail sentence of more than a year, even if it is suspended.
If the sentence is a year or less she will face a recall petition which will lead to a by-election if she loses.
The former whip won the marginal Peterborough seat in the 2017 snap election by 607 votes, ousting Tory Brexiteer Stewart Jackson from parliament.
And Peterborough’s 60.9% vote to quit the EU sparked rumours that Farage could stand for parliament for an eighth time, hoping to finally be elected an MP by potentially campaigning on a Brexit betrayal narrative.
““Who would I stand for?“I will not be standing in that by-election.””
- Nigel Farage
But the former Ukip leader told HuffPost UK he would not be standing.
He has also been fiercely critical of the Brexit policy pursued by Prime Minister Theresa May and therefore would not be able to stand for the Tories under her leadership.
Farage, who quit Ukip over its association with the far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson, said: “Who would I stand for?
“I will not be standing in that by-election.”
Jackson will not be standing again as the Tories have already selected PR man Paul Bristow, who in 2010 fought for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland seat but lost by 1,677 votes.
Labour meanwhile will have to go through the process of selecting a new candidate, with 2015 candidate Lisa Forbes said by sources to be among the frontrunners.
A source told HuffPost: “Unions and the leader’s office will be supportive of Lisa.
“But everyone is worried about the Fiona legacy and the fact it’s a heavily Leave city.”
Whatever happens, Brexit is likely to dominate any campaign with parliament in chaos over the EU withdrawal process.