Fiona Onasanya KICKED OUT by constituents: Labour faces NIGHTMARE by-election battle
FORMER Labour MP Fiona Onasanya has been kicked out of her House of Commons seat.
Fiona Onasanya: John Bercow announces MP has lost her seat
More than 27 percent of voters in her Peterborough constituency signed a petition to force her out, well above the 10 percent required. Onasanya, who was jailed for perverting the course of justice, is the first MP to be removed by the recall process. Some 19,261 people backed the petition demanding her removal.
There will now be a by-election in Brexit-backing Peterborough, in which Onasanya is permitted to stand as an independent.
Commons Speaker John Bercow told MPs: "I must advise the House that I have received notification from the petition officer for the constituency of Peterborough, in respect of the recall petition for Fiona Onasanya.
"The recall petition process for the constituency of Peterborough, established under the Recall of MPs Act 2015, closed yesterday at 5pm.
"As more than 10 percent of those eligible signed the petition have done so, I advise the House that the petition was successful.
"Fiona Onasanya is no longer the member for Peterborough and the seat is accordingly vacant.
"She can therefore no longer participate in any parliamentary proceedings as a Member of Parliament."
The petition was launched in March and constituents had six weeks to vote ahead of yesterday’s deadline.
Labour chairman Ian Lavery said: "Labour campaigned hard for a victory in this recall petition.
"The people of Peterborough clearly agree that Fiona Onasanya is not fit to be their MP and we're delighted they will now have the chance to vote for a Labour MP in our excellent candidate, Lisa Forbes.
"Labour will move the writ. Labour will vigorously fight the by-election here in Peterborough."
It comes after the 35-year-old lawyer was sent to prison earlier this year for three months after lying about a speeding offence.
The disgraced MP spent less than four weeks in jail and was booted out of the Labour Party following her conviction.
Fiona Onasanya protests innocence in appeal to voters
She was not automatically ousted as an MP as her prison sentence was less than 12 months and she continued to represent Peterborough as an independent.
Following her release she prompted a furious reaction for voting to block Brexit while wearing an electronic ankle tag.
Onasanya was first elected to Parliament as a Labour MP by a majority of just 607 in 2017.