A by-election for Mid Beds could be delayed until the autumn as Nadine Dorries MP still hasn’t officially resigned, despite saying five days ago that she would be stepping down with “immediate effect”.
The controversial MP has complained since her announcement that “sinister forces” are working against her after it was revealed she was not included in Boris Johsnons’ resignation honours list.
Read: By-election triggered in Mid Beds as Tory MP Nadine Dorries quits
She has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of blocking the appointment.
Downing Street denied that Mr Sunak removed names from the list, stating that the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac), will have made a decision on the final list before it was handed to the prime minister.
The Conservative party chief whip, Simon Hart, cannot move to request byelections in Mid Bedfordshire until Dorries sends her official resignation to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
Sky News has now reported that Ms Dorries may wait until just before the summer recess to formally resign. This would leave the prime minister to fight an autumn by-election.
Conservative party chair, Greg Hands, visited Mid Beds at the weekend after over a hundred Liberal Democrats descended on the area in an attempt to win over voters.
As reported in The Guardian, upon his visit, he said: “…we’re moving on, we’re looking forward to selecting a new candidate for Mid Bedfordshire as soon as possible and we’re looking forward to winning this byelection here in Mid Bedfordshire.”
Leader of Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats, Henry Vann, was one of those campaigning for a change in power for Mid Beds, he tweeted at the time that the area was now a “two-horse race between the Conservatives. and Lib Dems”
Some more Mid Beds delivery this morning! Less changeable weather today so don’t forget the sun-cream☀️☀️☀️ and the odds are showing it is a two horse race between the Conservatives and @LibDems pic.twitter.com/jqn7Fi5rYx
— Henry Vann (@BedfordVann) June 14, 2023
Lib Dems favourites to win
BetFred and Ladbrokes also confirmed they’re predicting a Lib Dem win in the constituency that has had a Tory MP since 1931.
Betfred says the Liberal Democrats are ‘odds on’ to overturn the Conservative majority and Ladbrokes have the party at 2/5 to win the election. The Conservative party are a close second on 9/4, whilst Labour are on 10/1.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “This by-election is going to be a close two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and an out-of-touch Conservative party.
“We have already heard from lifelong Conservative and Labour voters across Bedfordshire who are backing the Liberal Democrats to send this Government a message.
“People in Mid-Bedfordshire feel let down and taken for granted by this Conservative Government. GP appointments in Bedfordshire are hard to come by, whilst NHS dentists are impossible to find. Local NHS services have been badly neglected.
“…Mid-Bedfordshire has the chance to send this chaotic sham of a Government a message.”
