Ousted Wellingborough MP Peter Bone rants against recall petition result, branding it 'bizarre' and again denying allegations that triggered by-election

Peter Bone, the ousted and disgraced now ex Tory MP for Wellingborough, has said he finds the result of the recall petition held in his former constituency ‘bizarre’.

In a statement issued on his X (Twitter) page he appeared to question the process, even though the recall petition threshold set out by Parliament had been exceeded.

The result announced this evening (Tuesday, December 19) sees Mr Bone out of a job and a by-election triggered in the new year.

Mr Bone said: “The result of the Wellingborough Parliamentary Recall Petition has been announced, 10,505 people signed the petition which is equivalent to 13.2 per cent of the electorate.

“68,897 people chose not to sign the petition which represents 86.8 per cent of the electorate.

“As the number of people signing the petition exceeds 10 per cent of the electorate, there will be a parliamentary by-election early next year. This seems bizarre as 86.8 per cent of the electorate did not want to remove me from office, nor for there to be a by-election, and yet we are still to have one.”

He added: “I would like to thank all those people who have contacted me to offer their support from across the political spectrum. It has been most kind of so many people to have taken the time to contact me.

“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.”

In response to the recall petition result, Anneliese Dodds MP, Chair of the Labour Party, said: “The results of the recall petition demonstrate that Wellingborough is ready for change.

“The Conservative Party has presided over 13 years of failure, not least in the ‘professionalism, integrity and accountability at all levels’ that Rishi Sunak promised.“Despite serious allegations made against him, Peter Bone has dragged his constituents through a lengthy recall petition rather than doing the right thing and offering his resignation.“The people of Wellingborough now have the opportunity to vote for a fresh start with Gen Kitchen and the Labour Party. They deserve an MP firmly on their side and focused on their priorities.”

The by-election date has not yet been set and will not be decided on until Parliament returns in the new year.