An important ally of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally announced her resignation on Saturday and attacked his successor in a scathing letter.
Nadine Dorries, a former minister of culture, announced her resignation 11 weeks prior, but she continued to serve in the legislature while she looked into the reasons why she was denied a place in the upper chamber of parliament.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, according to Dorries’ resignation letter, has abandoned “the fundamental principles of conservatism,” and “history will not judge you kindly.”
In an unexpected turn of events, Dorries was not given a seat in the House of Lords, the upper house of parliament. He rewarded fellow Brexit ardents as well as individuals connected to the “Partygate” affair, which helped bring him down last year. Sunak and Downing Street were accused of interfering by Johnson’s camp as a result of the omission.
Dorries claimed in her letter, which she posted on social media, that Sunak had been organizing attacks against her, forcing “the police to visit my home and contact me on a number of occasions due to threats to my person.”
She responded, “The obviously planned and almost daily personal attacks show the pitiably low level to which your government has descended.” She also criticized his performance in office. Since you entered office a year ago, the nation has been controlled by a zombie parliament, according to her letter. “The Government is at sea, and you have no mandate from the people.” Lists of honorees for retiring prime ministers, which reward significant political allies, are often approved by the successor.
Nadine Dorries: Member of Parliament
The mother of three, who was born in Liverpool, claims that her upbringing was warm and caring, but she also recalled having to “hide from the rent man because we couldn’t pay him,” she told the Guardian. There would be no food on some days.
Dorris pursued nursing school after graduating high school. Her work as a nurse frequently influenced the political causes she supported, such as advocating for shorter abortion waiting periods and testing pregnant women for group B strep.
She was a latecomer to politics and considered joining Labour, but the Right to Buy programme that had allowed her mother to purchase her council property changed her mind.
She was chosen as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire in 2005, but she was expelled from the parliamentary Conservative party in 2012 after choosing to go on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
Prior to being named to the cabinet in 2021 when Boris Johnson made her the culture secretary, she later served as the health minister. Her most recent novel, The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, is scheduled to be released in September after a number of novels.
Political revenge against Rishi Sunak
Sunak‘s spokesperson had previously informed reporters that it was “entirely untrue” that the prime minister or other officials had crossed names off Johnson’s list before the list was presented to a House of Lords screening committee.
Johnson and Nigel Adams, who were both left off the list of honorees, both resigned from their positions as MPs as a result of the controversy surrounding the awards in June. Dorries made her resignation announcement at the same time.
Political analysts have theorised that Johnson is taking revenge on Sunak for removing him from office in July following “Partygate” and a number of other scandals by forcing the resignations.
In response to a cross-party inquiry into whether Johnson misled the parliament regarding the Covid lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street, Johnson resigned as an MP, alleging a plot by political rivals.
Sunak’s Tories had to hold by-elections as a result of the resignations because they were lagging the main opposition Labour party in the polls and there would be a general election the following year.
The contentious expansion of a vehicle pollution fee by Labour mayor Sadiq Khan to outside London helped the Conservatives retain Johnson’s constituency while losing Adams’ seat.
The government is now facing the possibility of another by-election, which might happen in the coming weeks. However, Dorries’ 24,000-vote margin in her district might be harder for the opposition Labour party to overcome than Adams’ 20,000-vote majority.
