By politics.co.uk staff

Shadow home secretary Alan Johnson could copy David Davis by quitting the Commons to fight a single-issue by-election.

Mr Davis, who was in the same position when he dramatically resigned his post over the issue of pre-charge detention, has not returned to frontline politics since.

But the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported Mr Johnson is considering a similar “dramatic gesture”.

Mr Johnson recently told the Hull Daily Mail newspaper he was considering doing “something from the sidelines” on proportional representation and electoral reform. His decision to rule himself out of the Labour leadership robbed the contest of one of its most likely candidates.

Now he is thought to be considering fighting a by-election to enhance his reformist credentials.

His constituency, Hull West and Hessle, would be almost certain to back Mr Johnson. In last month’s general election he suffered a 7.9% swing to the Liberal Democrats but still emerged with a 5,740 majority. The Lib Dems are the party most in favour of electoral reform.