Tag: Fiona Onasanya

Fiona Onasanya is expected to become the first MP to vote while wearing an electronic tag after being released from prison. The MP for Peterborough could return to parliament for a crucial Brexit vote on Wednesday after serving a month of her sentence for perverting the course of justice. Onasanya, who was expelled by the Labour party, was driven out of HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey, on Tuesday morning. She is appealing against her conviction at a hearing scheduled for 5 March. She insisted, before she was jailed, that she would continue to represent her constituents while maintaining her innocence. Following her conviction on 19 December, she has voted 12 times in the Commons. Whether she is able to vote on Wednesday will depend in part on the terms of her curfew. A prison sentence of at least 12 months is required for the automatic removal of an MP under parliamentary rules. Onasanya is expected to have to obey strict conditions as part of her early release. Festus Onasanya was sentenced to 10 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including in relation to the 24 July incident.

On the doorstep in the teatime rain in one of Peterborough’s down-at-heel suburbs, no one is talking about Brexit. Two years ago, Peterborough was Brexit central. Let us know which way you’re thinking of voting, and which issues are most crucial to you locally. Peterborough has always been a swing seat. It was the first election since 1929 that it elected an MP out of line with the national result. It may only have two seats on the council, but it plans to fight all but one of the wards in the city, even though the party nationally is near bankrupt and has to fund its campaign entirely from local supporters. There were no local elections here last year. That is likely to be decided by what happens to the 10% share of the vote Ukip that won in 2016. At the general election last year, when there was no Ukip candidate, the party’s voters split against the Tories and probably gave the seat to Labour. Some Tory candidates have said publicly that they expect the election to be tough.