Nadine Dorries has warned Rishi Sunak she will not formally resign as an MP until the government releases documents surrounding the decision to deny her a peerage, causing a by-election headache for the prime minister.
In an extraordinary move likely to lead to accusations she is holding the government to ransom, she accused No 10 of “varying and conflicting statements” over her omission from Boris Johnson’s resignation honors list.
It comes after Rishi Sunak lashed out at Dorries’s failure to resign as an MP as promised – with No 10 describing her decision to hang on days after she said she was quitting as “unusual”.
The prime minister said her constituents deserve “proper representation” and he was “looking forward” to a by-election in the former culture secretary’s Mid Bedfordshire seat.
In a series of tweets, the former culture secretary said on Tuesday evening: “There is much speculation about the time at which I become appointed the bailiff of Northstead Manor, as part of the arcane resignation process when standing down as an MP.
“To put an end to this … I am awaiting responses to my subject access requests submitted to HOLAC, Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office where I will then take the time to properly consider the information I am provided.
“I have requested copies of WhatsApps, text messages, all emails and minutes of meetings both formal and informal with names of senior figures unredacted. My office continues to function as normal and will of course continue to serve my constituents of Mid Bedfordshire as we have done for the last 18 yrs until this time.
“It is absolutely my intention to resign, but given what I know to be true and the number of varying and conflicting statements issued by No10 since the weekend, this process is now sadly necessary.”
Mr Sunak faced a setback after it emerged that Ms Dorries may delay her resignation, which came after she was passed over for a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, until summer recess.
Ms Dorries was accused of enjoying “inflicting pain” on the PM, as one Sunak ally said she was more interested in “making money on telly” than looking after her constituents.
The PM’s official spokesperson said the current limbo was “obviously unusual”. He added: “The prime minister believes the people of Mid-Bedfordshire need proper representation in this House. He will be looking forward to campaigning on behalf of the Conservative candidate.”
Mr Johnson announced his own shock exit just hours after Ms Dorries said she would quit, while fellow Boris ally Nigel Adams also said he would step down. But while Mr Johnson and Mr Adams completed the formal process of resigning on Monday, Ms Dorries is yet to do so.
Friends of Ms Dorries highlighted the case of Labour MP Rosie Cooper, who waited two months to resign after announcing she would go. One told The Daily Mail: “It’s her prerogative when she decides to go. She’s not going to give Sunak the convenience of three by-elections on the same day.”
Tory MP Aaron Bell lambasted Ms Dorries – accusing her of being more interested in “making money on telly” than looking after her constituents. He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “I don’t know what Nadine’s doing, to be honest.”
Mr Bell added: “I think it would be good for her constituency in Mid Bedfordshire … if they could have proper representation, because Nadine’s barely been seen in parliament these last six months.”
One Tory MP told The Independent that Ms Dorries was “trying to exact maximum pain”. Another senior Tory, a former minister, added: “I lose the will to live with Nadine. She trying to cause trouble, but it’s completely mad – she should get on with it so we can have these by-elections over and done with.”
Guto Harri, Mr Johnson’s former communications director, said Ms Dorries was enjoying “inflicting pain” on Mr Sunak. “I think she enjoys inflicting a little bit of pain – throwing it back, as she would see it, on the pain inflicted on her,” he told BBC’s Politics Live.
Party leaders have been left frustrated, having wanted to minimise the potential fallout from the three by-elections. They wanted to deal with the contests as quickly as possible.
A senior party source told The Independent: “We don’t know why Nadine hasn’t resigned. But we don’t want to wait around, we want to get on with these things.”
The Liberal Democrats were quick to highlight how a “long summer campaign” led to a major defeat for the Tories in a 2021 byelection.
A spokesperson said: “As Chesham and Amersham showed, a long summer campaign in the Blue Wall only ends one way for the Conservatives. We are dusting off that playbook.”
By remaining on the backbenches, Ms Dorries could also be a thorn in Mr Sunak’s side by speaking out or voting against his government’s plans. However, if Ms Dorries tenders her resignation soon, the party could still move to have all three by-elections on 20 July.
Ms Dorries earlier claimed the prime minister was a “privileged posh boy” who, in cahoots with his political aide James Forsyth, “duplicitously and cruelly” stopped her peerage.
Her delay could sow unrest in the party by pushing a difficult by-election into the autumn and closer to the Conservative Party conference.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats are vying to claim a high-profile win in the historically safe Tory seat, which has been held by Conservative MPs since 1931.
