MP's who Resign now standing Independents

Yes, I think there should be by-elections in all these cases,
However, until there is a GE apparently, they can stay where they are.Parliament would have to change the rules to do things differently.

Yes, morally they should stand in by elections.

As I mentioned on another thread, they are "fraudulent" MPs if they are not backing the party they stood for when they were elected.

In any other form of employment, if you jumped ship from one firm to another, your former employers would not continue to pay you, nor would they be happy to have you use their logo (for want of a better word) to support your new career.

They should do the decent thing and support by-elections in their constituencies. After all, they have to represent someone and not just themselves, if they sit in Parliament.

The tax payer continues to pay these MPs who may have a principle but who get paid to represent only themselves. Not on.

Section 1 sets out the circumstances in which the Speaker of the House of Commons would trigger the recall process, namely:

A custodial prison sentence of a year or less—longer sentences automatically disqualify MPs without need for a petition;
Suspension from the House ordered by the Committee on Standards;
A conviction for providing false or misleading expenses claims.
Sections 7–11 outline the procedure whereby the petition is forwarded by the electoral returning officer for the constituency to the MP's constituents for ratification, approval by 10% of the registered electors triggering the loss of the MP's seat and a by-election.

Section 15 confirms that the seat becomes vacant if the petition is successful, if it has not already been vacated by disqualification or death, or otherwise.

Sections 16-22 make further provisions.

Yes I agree it’s only fair to have constituents have their say as the person they have elected has altered their stance.

Any MP jailed should immediately be sacked. It’s ridiculous Fiona is still being paid! How on earth can she do her job from a prison cell.

Oh and further to my post above, those MPs who have defected now present opposition to the party that gave them their place in Parliament.

Do their constituents want that? Is that what Labour or Conservative voters asked them to do?

I don't think so.

We can only know if the electorate is asked if they want to retain them. Their original parties certainly don't want them back.

Just more examples of MP’s hubris. Who else do you know could go to prison and keep their job? ‘Oh thanks HR department ... just to say I won’t be coming into work for a few months but my bank account & sort code haven’t changed’. Jeez.

Yes, on a point of principle they should resign and seek re-election.

Just watching Channel 4 news - from Anna Soubry's constituency, an older woman, typical middle-England type at a tea dance said regarding her resignation

"A bit damn late, with 37 days to go!"

I have to agree - the Tories have allowed the far right to dictate Brexit and it's a bit late in the day for resignations in protest.

In reality it is only a temporary shelter for politicians whose careers at Westminster have now finished.

I am sure they all thought it through before leaving their parties . Quite a big decision, keep quiet and keep your job or act on your principles and lose your job.

Well, I for one don't seem to be able to buy enough popcorn to keep up: just when I thought I finally figured out the right frequency of popcorn purchasing to keep up with popcorn-worthy events in Britain, somebody comes out with a whole new twist on parliamentary entertainment.

Until relatively recently, party affiliations were not printed on voting slips and I think we should return to this.

An MP is a representative not a delegate. When they stand for election, voters are voting not just for a party but also a person, in the past it was quite acceptable for a candidate to have strong views on certain subjects that were not entirely in harmony with party policy. In the past political parties could contain members with widely varying views, but sharing a mutual philosophy and working together for a common cause.

If you vote, you should vote first for an MP then for a party. If you do anything else you are not treating the ballot with the seriousness it deserves.

Yes, there are exceptions, being convicted of a criminal offence, regardless of the sentence and, what I could best describe as, moral turpitude' sufficient for you to have the whip withdrawn and for you to be excluded from party membership - sexual harassment, fiddling expenses etc.

But beyond that, the MP and their views remain essentially those they had when elected, why should they resign over a label.

If you stand for a particular party at an election, then change from that party to another, then in all honesty you should have to go back to your constituents for re election under your new colours. Honesty of course is in very short supply amongst M.P's, so why are we not surprised at this latest twist!!!

I've tried to look past it, but Chuka Umunna’s tone of voice - the general vibe he projects, is so condescending and smug.

Can I point out that I voted for the person not the party. Any dealings I have had with her have been positive.

I agree with you about chuka! Out of all of them I think he is entirely self serving and fancied himself as the pack leader.

RiverWalk

I want to go to this tea dance!

Not that she is one of the 'rebels'.

MOnica

I can’t remember it seeing the party name on a voting slip and I first voted in 1982. Not contradicting you and Probsbly got the wrong end of the stick as usual but really interested in this because I agree I vote for the person too.

Not seeing obviously

Anna Soubry should not only have resigned from the Tory Party, she should have resigned her seat because she has stabbed her constituents in the back over Brexit. 55% of the voters of Broxtowe voted to leave the EU, she ignored them and their wishes. In 2017 she stood on a manifesto that said the referendum would be honoured and that we would be leaving both the Single Market and Customs Union. Since the 2017 election, Anna Soubry has done everything she can to reverse the result of the Referendum, ignoring the wishes of her voters, her Party and the 17.4 million who voted to leave the EU. Her attitude is that she is right and all the people who voted for Brexit are wrong. That makes her one of the most arrogant women in Britain. If she had any honour, she would give the voters of Broxtowe their chance to decide if she is a proper person to represent them. As she has no honour, she will cling on as MP as long as possible.

I can’t agree that Chuka is self serving, he resigned from the shadow cabinet and went on the back benches when Corbyn took over, if he was self serving he could have remained silent, snuggled up to Corbyn and stayed on the front benches.

I started voting in 1964 and the party affiliation wasn't on the voting slip then.

Most of the comments on this thread about Independent Group MPS has been really unpleasant. Particularly unpleasant as the relentless acceptance of antisemitism by the Labour Party has lain behind several of these resignations.

Is our parliamentary system so debased that no one can accept that an MP can have principles and stand by them?

I totally take all your points urmstongran do you think she always intended to subvert Brexit or just since the deal seems to have gone pear shaped? Of course she is a barrister and was a reporter so she has other income sources if needed.

Well said MOnica