Parliamentary by-election looking likely in prime Lib Dem target
Conservative MP Chris Davies has now pleaded guilty to two charges of false expense claims.
Sentencing is yet to take place, but the guilty plea means a Parliamentary by-election in his constituency is now looking (even) more likely.
And that constituency is Brecon and Radnorshire, formerly held by the Lib Dems (and represented by Kirsty Williams in the Welsh Assembly). Jane Dodds is the party’s newly selected Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for the seat.
It looks like many of us will soon get the chance to campaign in one of the country’s most beautiful constituencies.
UPDATE: Chris Davies, not to be confused with the former Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies, has now been fined and a recall petition is underway.
Fun to go back. I helped in the by-election in, I think 1985. I was there for about 5 hours and canvassed about 10 people down country lanes !
indeed i remember canvassing more sheep than people . drove home had a puncture almost fell asleep at the wheel getting back at 3.00am. it was only david Hughes snoring that kept me awake on the M4.
fun times
From a report I saw in The Guardian, I had the impression the false accounting was more technical than substantial. It did not seem like an offence that would lead to resignation or recall.
Perhaps I was mistaken. Mark, could you, or someone else explain?
There are two ways this could lead to a by-election: (1) the sentence is long enough to disqualify him as an MP, (2) even if not, a recall petition is successful. Remember that by pleading guilty he has admitted creating false paperwork. This wasn’t a matter of just filling in a form a bit wrongly.
It needs 5601 names for a recall. 3947 people in the constituency have already signed the petition to revoke article 50 in his constituency and he’s ERG. I think we can get enough signatures for a recall. We just need to watch we don’t do it in time to trigger a by-election on May 2nd.
I hate to be Cassandra the prophet of doom, but suppose I suggest that the photo could, in 200 or 300 years’ time, be somewhere in Greenland? IN other words, humanity has GOT to get its act together on climate change. (I think a lot of that part of the world was buried in ice during the last Ice Age).