Disgraced ex-Tory MP Peter Bone’s partner chosen to run as his replacement in Wellingborough by-election

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

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The partner of disgraced ex-Tory MP Peter Bone has been chosen as the Conservative candidate to replace him in the Wellingborough by-election.

Helen Harrison, who is a Conservative councillor in Wellingborough’s North Northamptonshire area, was selected by members of the party on Sunday afternoon, according to party chair Richard Holden.

An election is being held after Mr Bone was found by parliament to have subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.

Mr Bone has had the whip suspended from him, meaning he sits as an independent MP in the Commons, rather than a Conservative one.

However, he has been seen campaigning with the party despite the suspension.

His constituents voted to recall him as part of a recall petition, and so a by-election will be held, although a date has not yet been confirmed.

Mr Bone is allowed to stand in the vote if he chooses, but it is not clear if he will.

The other candidates for the election include Gen Kitchen for Labour, Ana Savage Gunn for the Liberal Democrats, Ben Habib for Reform UK and Will Morris for the Green Party.

This is not the first time Ms Harrison will have competed for a seat at Westminster, having previously tried to get elected as the Tory MP for Bolsover in 2017. She lost to the incumbent Dennis Skinner.

Any election win would need to be fought again at the next general election – most likely to take place this year.

A report into Mr Bone’s behaviour found he had “committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a staff member in 2012 and 2013.

Parliament’s behaviour watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, upheld a previous probe which found Mr Bone had broken the MPs’ code of conduct on four counts of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.

He was found to have indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom of a hotel room during a work trip to Madrid.

In a statement posted on X following the result of the recall election, Mr Bone said: “The recall petition came about as a result of an inquiry into alleged bullying and misconduct towards an ex-employee which was alleged to have occurred more than 10 years ago.

“These allegations are totally untrue and without foundation.

“I will have more to say on these matters in the new year. May I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.”

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Mr Bone has been the MP for Wellingborough in Northamptonshire since 2005, and was re-elected with a majority of 18,540 at the last election in 2019.

The Conservatives have lost a series of by-elections in which they previously held five-figure majorities, including Selby and Ainsty, Mid Bedfordshire, and Somerton and Frome.

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France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state

Published

8 hours ago

July 24, 2025

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France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state

Emmanuel Macron has said France will recognise Palestine as a state later this year.

The French president announced the major change of policy in a letter to the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, which Mr Macron also published online on Thursday evening.

The French leader said he will make the formal announcement at the UN General Assembly, being held in September.

France will become the first G7 member to recognise a Palestinian state.

In his post explaining the decision, Mr Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages and for much more humanitarian aid to reach those in the territory.

But Israel’s defence minister has called the French decision “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism”.

The move heaps pressure on France’s allies such as the UK, and Sir Keir Starmer insisted tonight that he is “clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people”.

But the prime minister has resisted calls from within his own party to recognise Palestine immediately, as he views this as part of the peace process in Gaza.

Currently, half of the G20 recognise Palestine as a state, while nations including the UK, US, Germany and others do not.

But pressure has been growing on Sir Keir to change course, with senior Labour figures including the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan publicly calling for a change in government policy.

Starmer: ‘We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe’

Just hours before Mr Macron’s announcement, Sir Keir said he would be holding an “emergency call” with the leaders of France and Germany over what he termed the “humanitarian catastrophe” happening in Gaza.

In some of the firmest language from the government yet, Sir Keir said that “the suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible”.

He went on to say that it has been “grave for some time”, but that it has now “reached new depths and continues to worsen”.

Sir Keir said: “I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace.”

The PM added that “we all agree” on the need for Israel to “change course and allow aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay”.

He wrote: “It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages.”

Across the globe, more than 140 countries recognise Palestine as a state.

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