FORMER Tory whip Chris Pincher has confirmed he will resign as an MP after losing his appeal against a suspension for drunkenly groping two men.
It has paved the way for yet another by-election for Rishi Sunak, who is already facing one in Med Bedfordshire following the resignation of Nadine Dorries.
Pincher said he did not want to put any “further uncertainty” on his constituents in Tamworth, in the West Midlands, and has “made arrangements to resign and leave the Commons”.
He said: “I have said already that I will not stand at the next General Election.
READ MORE: Scottish Labour 'civil war' in Rutherglen over leaked emails
“However, following the Independent Expert Panel’s decision I wanted to talk to my office team and family.
“I do not want my constituents to be put to further uncertainty, and so in consequence I have made arrangements to resign and leave the Commons.
“Tamworth is a wonderful place and it has been an honour to represent its people. I shall make no further comment at this time.”
The seat has been held by the Tories since 2010, having been held by Labour since 1997 before then.
However before Labour’s win in 1997, the seat had been held by the Conservatives since 1885.
Pincher won the seat in the 2019 General Election with a 66.3% share of the vote.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel