Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing another battle after voters in Wellingborough triggered a by-election by recalling Peter Bone.
North Northamptonshire Council confirmed on Tuesday that 13.2 percent of the electorate signed a recall petition, passing the 10 percent threshold required for a by-election.
Responding to the recall petition result on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Bone said in a statement that it “seems bizarre” there will be a by-election while 86.8 percent of the electorate hadn’t backed the petition.
He also rejected the findings of bullying and sexual misconduct, claiming the allegations are “totally untrue and without foundation,” and said he will have “more to say on these matters in the new year.”
It’s unclear whether Mr. Bone will run again as an independent MP. Labour, Green, and the Liberal Democrats, which ran in the constituency in 2019, have already announced their candidates.
Labour candidate, former councillor and charity fundraiser Gen Kitchen, said she will “work hard to be the #freshstart that people want” in a statement on X.
The Liberal Democrats have selected Ana Savage Gunn, a former police officer who became a care home worker since 2020, and Will Morris will stand for the Green Party.
The Conservative Party is yet to announce a candidate, and Reform UK is also expected to run for the seat.
The contest is expected to be another uphill battle for the Conservative Party, which has lost four seats in by-elections this year.
Among the seven by-elections held this year, the Tories managed to hold on to one of the seats.
Labour held one seat, gained three from the Conservatives, and one from the Scottish National Party.
The Lib Dems also gained one seat from the Conservatives.
Wellingborough has been held by the Conservative Party since 2005 after Mr. Bone took it from Labour during Sir Tony Blair’s final election as prime minister.
During Boris Johnson’s landslide general election victory in 2019, the Tories held it with a strong 18,540 majority, with Labour coming a distant second.
But that lead could be under threat in the current political climate, with it being smaller than the blue majorities overturned by Sir Keir Starmer’s outfit in by-elections held in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire in October.
Pollster Savanta UK said its survey in September put Labour in the lead in Wellingborough, with 47 percent of the respondents favouring the party, up by 20 percent compared to Labour’s support in the 2019 general election. The Tories had 35 percent of the support, down from 62 percent, the poll suggests. Meanwhile, 7 percent of the respondents backed Reform UK, formerly known as the Brexit Party.
In Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire, Reform appeared to have played a major role in tipping the scale in Labour’s favour by splitting Tory votes.
In Mid Bedfordshire, Labour had 1,192 more votes than the Conservative Party, while the Reform UK candidate took 1,487 votes.
In Tamworth, Labour led by 1,316 votes. Reform bagged 1,373 votes while Britain First and UKIP took a total of 1,016 votes.
Elsewhere, Scott Benton, MP for Blackpool South, has also been recommended for a suspension of 35 days over a “serious breach” of rules of conduct. He’s currently sitting as an independent MP after his Conservative whip was suspended in April. If his appeal fails, his suspension will trigger yet another by-election in the new year.
