Labour MP charged with perverting the course of justice

ITV reports:

Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya has been charged with perverting the course of justice, it has emerged.

The 34-year-old Labour MP, who won her seat at the General Election in 2017, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 12.

Court records show she was charged over allegedly lying about who was behind the wheel of a speeding vehicle.

This is, alas, a topic that Liberal Democrats are more familiar with than we might wish. If legal action is followed through and if a conviction results – two very important caveats – then a by-election may occur.

In 2016, the Peterborough constituency voted for Leave but just under two to one (63%). The 2017 general election result in Peterborough was a Labour gain from the Conservatives:

Labour: 48.1%
Conservative: 46.8%
Liberal Democrat: 3.3%
Green Party: 1.8%

In 2010, however, the Lib Dems reached just under 20% and just earlier this year the Liberal Democrat group on the council picked up two extra seats: one a gain in May and one a switch from the Liberal Party.

UPDATE: She was found guilty.