Kirsty O’Connor/PA
The BBC has been mocked after it ran a passionate defence of the disgraced Tory MP Peter Bone… courtesy of his partner.
A by-election is taking place in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, after the Conservative’s constituents removed Bone as MP via a recall petition.
The Tories have been accused of ‘caving’ by picking Bone’s partner to stand in the by-election.
Helen Harrison, a councillor on North Northamptonshire Council, has been picked to fight the election for the party, and has been out canvassing alongside Bone in a contest they are widely expected to lose.
Speaking to the BBC, Harrison, 51, said the panel was wrong to suspend Bone for six weeks for exposing himself to an aide and physically striking him.
“As Peter’s partner and his supporting person through that process, I’m one of a small number of people who had seen every single bit of evidence that has been presented in that case.
“I think [the panel] got it wrong.”
She went on to say that, as Bone’s supporting person, she was “required by the parliamentary authorities to sign a confidentiality agreement which means, unfortunately, I can’t say any more than that”.
She insisted that voters she met on the doorsteps during her campaign were not talking about Mr Bone’s behaviour.
“People are not raising that issue with me,” she said.
“They’re talking to me about the small boats; they’re talking about potholes; they’re talking about their health services [and] getting more police on the beat – those issues that people are going to be voting on in this by-election.”
