There will now be a by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire.
Disgraced Tory MP Chris Davies Ousted By Recall Petition
Tory MP Chris Davies has been ousted from his seat by a recall petition, triggering a by-election in his mid-Wales seat.
Around 19% of Davies’ Brecon and Radnorshire constituents signed a petition calling for him to be unseated – 10,005 eligible residents. Only 10% were needed in order to remove the 51-year-old from parliament.
It comes after Davies was convicted over false expense claims he made back in 2015. The 51-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to submitting two false invoices for landscape photographs to decorate his new office.
He was fined £1,500 and sentenced to 50 hours of unpaid work in March after admitting two charges of forging invoices.
However, Davies will still be allowed to stand in the upcoming by-election.
The ballot could pose a threat to the Tory Party. Although Davies – who first won the seat in 2015 – was re-elected in 2017 with a majority of more than 8,000 votes, Brecon and Radnorshire was held by the Lib Dems for 18 years before that.
Davies – who first won his seat in 2015 – is the second MP to be unseated from the Commons by recall petition.
Peterborough MP Fiona Onsanya – who was expelled from Labour after being convicted of lying about a speeding offence – was unseated in May after more than 19,000 of her constituents called for her to be removed.
Following a by-election earlier this month, the seat was narrowly won by the Labour Party, with Lisa Forbes named the new MP.
Recall petitions are launched when MPs receive a custodial sentence, are barred from the Commons for 10 sitting days or are convicted of providing false information about their expenses.
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