Nadine Dorries not doing MP's job properly, says Rishi Sunak

Nadine Dorries's constituents are not being properly represented, the prime minister has said.

Rishi Sunak told LBC people deserved to have an MP "that represents them wherever they are".

The former culture secretary announced in June she was standing down as MP for Mid Bedfordshire with immediate effect.

But she later said she would not resign until she got more information about why she was denied a peerage in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list.

Ms Dorries has not spoken in the Commons since June 2022.

In his LBC interview, Mr Sunak set out what he thought people had right to expect from their MPs.

"It's just making sure your MP is engaging with you, representing you, whether that's speaking in Parliament or being present in their constituencies doing surgeries, answering your letters.

"That's the job of an MP and all MPs should be held to that standard."

Asked if that meant Ms Dorries was failing her constituents, Mr Sunak said: "Well, at the moment, people aren't being properly represented."

A close ally of Mr Johnson, she has accused Mr Sunak's political team of removing her name from the former prime minister's resignation honours list. She said she had requested copies of all correspondence relating to her nomination for the Lords.

Ms Dorries said she was seeking the information from the House of Lords Appointments Commission - which vets nominations, the cabinet secretary - the head of the civil service - and the Cabinet Office.

She has insisted it remains "absolutely my intention to resign", but "this process is now sadly necessary".

Her "office continues to function as normal and will of course continue to serve my constituents," she added.

Downing Street has said it is important for her constituents to have "certainty".

Ms Dorries had a majority of 24,664 in Mid Bedfordshire in the 2019 general election, but both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are already targeting the seat. A by-election can be called only when an MP formally resigns.

Last week, Flitwick Town Council, in her constituency, added its voice to calls for Ms Dorries to quit immediately, pointing to her job hosting a show on TalkTV.

The councillors also noted she had not maintained a constituency office "for a considerable time".

Alistair Strathern, Labour's Mid Bedfordshire candidate, said residents were "sick of being taken for granted, they want proper representation and a local MP who puts them first".

Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney said: "While families across Bedfordshire are struggling to see a GP and facing soaring mortgage costs, Nadine Dorries continues to hold on to a job she has no interest is doing."

Ms Dorries has also written a book titled The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson, due to be published days before the Conservative Party conference in October.