THE Labour and Green candidates for Somerton and Frome are calling on more town and parish councils to adopt motions of no confidence in the local MP, David Warburton, following Frome Town Council unanimously passing a motion of no confidence last month.
L
angport Town Council, near Somerton, is also currently considering a vote of no confidence and other councils are being urged to follow suit.
David Warburton was suspended from the Conservative Party 11 months ago amid allegations of sexual harassment and drug abuse; allegations which he denies.
In a joint statement from Martin Dimery and Sean Dromgoole, the Green and Labour Party candidates for Somerton and Frome say, “If you are a resident of Somerton and Frome and fed up with the fact that you have not been represented in Parliament for almost a year – there is something you can do about it. You can petition your local parish or town council to adopt a motion of no confidence in our no-show MP David Warburton.”
Martin Dimery, said, “Frome is, once again, leading from the front when it comes to democratic experimentation. It is highly unusual for a town council to vote no confidence in their MP, but then we are in highly unusual times. There is no time in history in which an MP, with such a roster of allegations against him, would not have stepped down to clear his name.
“But the old assumptions are nothing to this lot. The problem is while he clings on, taking his salary, the rest of us have no voice in Parliament. It is time for him to go. Why not ask your council to adopt one of the motions?”
David Warburton has also recently revealed that he has been given a proxy vote which would allow another MP to vote in the House of Commons on his behalf.
Sean Dromgoole added, “Everywhere you go up and down our constituency people are fed up with the fact that David Warburton is not representing them in Westminster. We hear that the Speaker has after 11 months given him temporary permission to vote by proxy but that is not the same as representing us and making our opinions heard as policies are framed and legislation drafted.
“We pay our taxes and yet we are not getting the representation we are paying for. It is coming up for a year. It is time for David Warburton to step down and allow another to be selected who, by virtue of not being excluded from Parliament, can do the job. We think, if sufficient parishes and towns adopt one of the motions, his position will become untenable – please ask your council to adopt one of the motions.”
