Britain’s Conservative Party (or Tories, as they are also known) could be facing up to four by-elections in the coming months, as a number of MPs have resigned in recent weeks.
By-elections must be held within three months of the resignation of an MP.
David Warburton, an MP since 2015, resigned following allegations of taking bribes and using illegal drugs. He was also accused of sexual misconduct. He admitted to taking cocaine, but said that other allegations against him were ‘malicious’.
Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister, also resigned his seat as an MP, after an inquiry found that he had knowingly misled Westminster over parties held at Downing Street during Covid while he was Prime Minister. Johnson resigned in protest, claiming that there was no evidence against him.
Following Johnson’s resignation, Nigel Adams, the MP for Selby and Ainsty in Yorkshire, said he would also be resigning. He had been an MP since 2010.
The fourth MP to resign was Nadine Dorries. However, she was waiting to make her resignation formal until she received information on why she had been refused a peerage.
While the Tories still enjoy a large majority in the House of Commons, the by-elections will be seen as a referendum on the premiership of current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. The Tories are currently trailing Labour in the polls by some distance, and these by-elections will give some indication of how likely a Tory victory in the next election would be.
[Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/52488620393]