At the end of last year Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was convicted of perverting the course of justice, after lying to police about a speeding charge. She has since been suspended from the Labour party but will remain the MP for Peterborough unless she is recalled or sentenced to longer than one year in jail.
In response to the verdict, Onasanya had what we might call an unusual reaction. In messages to colleagues the MP compared her plight to that of Jesus and Moses and in a newspaper column, vowed to carry on fighting as an independent MP, promising to fight this ‘botched Brexit deal’:
‘This is why I have continued to scrutinise this botched Brexit deal: a deal that does not take back control, nor provide industry, business, and left behind communities with confidence. I will continue to do so as we approach March 29, 2019, because Peterborough deserves much better than what is currently on offer.’
Alas, Mr S has reason to believe that the MP might not be making the triumphant return she was hoping for. Onasanya’s local paper, the Peterborough Telegraph, has spotted that the MP did not vote on two major Brexit votes week (the Grieve and Cooper amendments), and Mr S can confirm that according to Hansard, she has not participated in any votes or spoken in the House of Commons this year.
Should we send out the search party? Or maybe rest easy in the knowledge that Fiona Onasanya has taken her own advice, and realised that Peterborough does indeed deserve ‘better than what is currently on offer’.
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