Facts

On 9 June, Nadine Dorries took to Twitter to announce that she would be standing down as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire “with immediate effect.”

Five days later, on 14 June, Dorries announced that she would be delaying her resignation until she gets more information on why she was denied a peerage. Until she formally resigns, Dorries remains the representative for Mid-Bedfordshire. 

On 26 July 2023, Flitwick Town Council, a council in Nadine Dorries’s constituency, issued a letter demanding that she resign as an MP “immediately” so that residents can receive “effective representation”.

Verdict

Nadine Dorries was telling the truth to her Twitter followers about her conversation with the Conservative Chief Whip. She then went back on her word. It is fair to say that any statement by Nadine Dorries should be treated with caution unless independently proven to be true.

Additional Note on client journalism:

 On 9 June 2023, the Independent published an article stating that “Nadine Dorries has resigned her seat with immediate effect.”

Nadine Dorries had announced on Twitter that she would be resigning.  She said: “I have today informed the chief whip that I am standing down as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, with immediate effect.”

Five days later, on 14 June, Dorries announced on Twitter that she would delay her resignation until she gets more information on why she was denied a peerage. 

The Independent misled its readers by publishing an article stating that “Nadine Dorries has resigned her seat with immediate effect”. Nadine Dorries had not actually resigned her seat. She had passed onto Twitter followers that she had told the chief whip of her intention to do so. Again and again in this website we have highlighted cases where the British media credulously accepted the testimony of proven fabricators such as Dorries, and misled their readers as a result.

We sent Nadine Dorries an email at her parliamentary address offering her the chance to reply to the commentary above. We did receive an automatic reply to this email. However, since she has ceased to be an MP we no longer feel confident that she will have seen it. So we have also sent an email to her publishers, Harper Collins. Thus far we have received no response.

We also approached the Independent offering the chance to reply to the commentary above. So far no response.