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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Mikey Smith

Lib Dems hope to capitalise on voter anger over 'absent' Nadine Dorries in by-election

The Lib Dems are hoping to capitalise on voters' anger at Nadine Dorries to take the Tory MP's Mid Bedfordshire seat in the by-election - whenever it happens.

Despite announcing she would quit Parliament, Ms Dorries says she’ll cling on until she’s finished investigating why she was left off Boris Johnson ’s list of peerages.

She’s accused Rishi Sunak and “sinister forces” in Downing Street from blocking her from the House of Lords - which No10 firmly denies.

But anger at Ms Dorries among her constituents had been bubbling long before her rage-quit over Mr Johnson’s honours list.

Campaigning in Flitwick, Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper was greeted by a string of locals fuming at the state of Westminster politics.

But while not all of them will vote Lib Dem, they all shared fury at Ms Dorries.

"She hasn't done much round here," one local said. "You never see her."

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper on the campaign trail in Mid Bedfordshire (Mikey Smith)

Another, Elaine - previously a Tory voter - said her absence from the constituency "is a big bugbear in our house. That Nadine doesn't live here."

But a third voter, Robert, said he would not be voting in the by-election for the first time ever.

"I find all of you are another pocket in the same suit," he told Ms Cooper.

Referring to Boris Johnson, he said: "That clown in Westminster, he's an idiot. He's a parasite."

But he said he had come to the conclusion none of the current crop of MPs could fix the country's problems. "We get to the point now where we've all given up," he said.

Ms Cooper told the Sunday Mirror: "[The Tories have] just taken people's hope, you know. They've just destroyed people's sense that things can ever change, ever.

“And when you say this is our plan for changing it, even if it's a verified plan and it's fully costed. They want people to change stuff, but they don't believe that anybody can. It's just so upsetting."

She added: “Whenever these [by-elections] are going to happen - no matter how long they’re dragged out - the Tories are going to be in turmoil.

“People who are despairing are already despairing, it’s not going to get worse. I think there’ll be other people who are just angry and want the opportunity to send a message, and that’s going to be our rallying call.”

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