Nadine Dorries standing down as MP with ‘immediate effect’ triggering by-election

Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries has announced she is standing down as an MP “with immediate effect”.

The ex-culture secretary said it had been “an honour” to serve in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency “but it is now time for another to take the reins”.

Ms Dorries had already said she won’t be contesting her seat at the next election, blaming the “sheer stupidity” of her colleagues who “got rid of Boris Johnson”.

The early resignation means there will a by-election in her constituency and follows reports she has been dropped from the former prime minister’s honours list.

Announcing her decision in a tweet she said: “I have today informed the chief whip that I am standing down as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, with immediate effect.

“It has been an honour to serve as the MP for such a wonderful constituency but it is now time for another to take the reins.”

Ms Dorries has served as MP for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005 and is also a best-selling novelist.

She was promoted to culture secretary during Mr Johnson’s premiership, when she lead the now-ditched plans to privatise Channel 4.

There has been months of speculation that the former culture secretary was to be handed a peerage in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list but recent reports suggested she was taken off it by the government at the 11th hour to swerve an early election battle in her seat.

Ms Dorries has a large majority in her constituency, winning 60% of the vote at the 2019 general election, well ahead of Labour in second place on 22%.

The Times newspaper said she was scrapped from the honours list alongside former Cop26 president Alok Sharma due to fears of the damaging impact two by-elections could have on the Tories, who are flailing behind Labour in the national polls.