MP may be stripped of constituency

Commons speaker John Bercow is set to ask officials to open a recall petition once Chris Davies, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire is sentenced.

He was convicted last week, and if 10 per cent of the MPs constituents sign it a by-election will be held.

Last week Davies, 51, admitted two charges of creating false invoices for £700 worth of photographs.

The politician could have made the claim legitimately under a different process. His case was adjourned for sentencing at a future date at Southwark Crown Court.

The figure needed to trigger a by-election is yet to be confirmed but it is thought around 5,300 names would be required.

Mr Bercow will write to the area's returning officer when he is sentenced.

Davies admitted one charge of providing false or misleading information for allowance claims, and one of attempting to do so.

A spokeswoman for the Speaker's Office said: "As soon as the court has formally informed Mr Speaker that sentencing has taken place, procedures under the Recall of MPs Act 2015 require him to write to the returning officer in Mr Davies's Brecon and Radnorshire constituency.

"Once the letter has been sent, Mr Davies is subject to the recall petition process and it will be for the returning officer to make the arrangements for the petition.

"The recall petition will be open for signing for six weeks," the spokeswoman added.

Locations

"If at least 10 per cent of the electorate in the constituency sign the petition, the MP will lose his seat and a by-election will be triggered."

Once called, a recall petition should be available to be signed at up to ten locations open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, with reasonable provision given for signing at other times.

In the court case last week, Thomas Forster QC, Davies’s defence counsel, said his client “apologised unreservedly” for his actions, which he described as “a disastrous accounting episode” and that he recognised “he is the author of his own misfortune” who had nobody but himself to blame.

Mr Forster added: “Plainly the ramifications for him will be serious and it is therefore a fact this plea of guilt may result in damage to his political career. That is a genuine and real tragedy.

"It took courage to plead guilty and face the music. He has not shied away from that responsibility and he should be given credit."

District Judge Zani said he did not consider the magistrates court’s sentencing powers to be sufficient and sent the case to crown court.

He told Davies that as an MP he enjoyed a position of considerable responsibility and trust and that he had a duty to be "meticulous in your claims".

He said: "The documents you created are troublesome in that they carried a deal of information that you put together which absolutely intended to deceive."

Lib Dem Welsh leader Jane Dodds, who has sat unsuccessfully in elections in Montgomeryshire, has already said she will sit at the next election in the area for the party.