Skip to main content

A recall petition has opened to decide if a Tory MP convicted for a false expenses claim will keep his seat.




Chris Davies tried to split the cost of photographs between two office budgets by faking invoices, when he could have claimed the amount by other means.

Brecon and Radnorshire voters wanting to sign the petition will be able to do so until Thursday 20 June in six locations in the constituency.


A by-election will be held if 10% of the electorate - 5,303 voters - sign.


Mr Davies would be able to contest a by-election, if one takes place.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow confirmed the recall petition last month, after Mr Davies was given a community order of 50 hours unpaid work and a £1,500 fine, at Southwark Crown Court.


In a statement, Mr Davies has apologised to his constituents for "making such an error", saying he very much hopes to continue serving Brecon and Radnorshire.


Constituents can sign the petition at venues in Llandrindod Wells, Brecon, Presteigne, Ysytradgynlais, Hay-on-Wye and Crickhowell.


Apart from Spring Bank Holiday Monday, they will be open from 09:00 until 17:00 BST on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 08:00 until 17:00 BST on Tuesdays, and 09:00 until 20:00 BST on Wednesdays.


People registered for postal votes will receive a signing sheet to return if they want to sign the petition.


Signatures will be counted at the end of the six-week period, and the total figure returned to the Speaker, who will then approve publication of the results. Mr Davies is the third MP to face such a petition, following one in Northern Ireland and another in England, under the Recall of MPs Act, which came into force in 2016.


Earlier this month, Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya became the first to be removed by a recall petition.

More than a quarter of her constituents signed a petition after she was jailed for lying about a speeding offence.


A by-election will take place on 6 June, which Ms Onasanya has said she will not contest.


The first recall petition in the UK was in July 2018 against North Antrim MP Ian Paisley, for failing to declare two holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government.


The petition was unsuccessful, after it failed to get the required number of signatures.






Popular posts from this blog

Calls for Labour to Go Further on War on Plastic

  The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Welsh Labour to be more ambitious in its war on plastic and introduce a bottle deposit scheme in Wales. While welcoming the long-delayed plans to ban single-use carrier bags and plastic drinking straws in Wales, the Welsh Liberal Democrats said there was more to be done.   Under legislation introduced today, single-use carrier bags, plastic drinking straws, plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers and cotton buds would all be banned under the proposed new law.   Research from Wrap Cymru estimates that 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated in Wales each year, with 67 per cent of that waste being packaging. Another report by the Marine Conservation Society found that there were 29 drinks containers for every 100 meters of beach in Wales.   A Deposit Return Scheme, also known as a bottle deposit scheme, encourages people to recycle drinks containers such as plastic or glass bottles. People pay a small deposit f...

Wales Hosepipe Ban – Criticism of Welsh Water Over Large Bonuses While Infrastructure Creaks

Following the news that people in some areas of Wales could face a hosepipe ban this summer, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised Welsh Water for paying large bonuses to its bosses while infrastructure creaks. Data from Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, showed that 169.9 megalitres/day were being wasted through leakage in Welsh Water’s network during 2020-21. The company also failed to meet its Per capita consumption (PCC) targets which are designed to push for less water to be taken from the environment.   The Welsh Liberal Democrats say that their analysis of Company House data shows that executives at Dŵr Cymru were paid £2.6 million in 2020 and 2021 including £931,000 in bonuses, benefits and inc entives.   Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:   " We cannot control the hot and dry weather, but we can control wastage through outdated or poorly-maintained infrastructure.   “Welsh Water brands itself as “no...

Ed Davey pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen in Parliament

 Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament. The deep mourning across the country now – just like the celebrations of her Jubilee a few months ago – comes not from a sense of duty, but from genuine and heartfelt affection, love and admiration of Her Majesty. It's not because we were her subjects, but because she was truly our Queen. What she meant to us is perhaps best summed up by a phrase on so many people’s lips over the last twenty-four hours:   “I can’t imagine our country without her.”   For almost everyone in the country, she has been there our whole lives. At times of national grief and national jubilation, she has never not been there for us. So it is hard to accept that she is gone. And hard to see how we go on without her.   But we will. Our great United Kingdom has a great future – because The Queen’s spirit of strength, grace and resolve lives on in her people. One of the great...