Neil Parish to resign as an MP

The Conservative MP who has been at the centre of attention in relation to claims that an MP watched pornography in the House of Commons chamber has said that he is to step down as an MP.

Neil Parish had previously had the Conservative whip suspended on Friday.

There will now be a by-election in Mr Parish’s Tiverton and Homerton constituency.

Found in the south east corner of Devon, the Conservatives won the seat at the last election with a majority of over 24,000.  However on the back of their 2021 by-election sucesses in previously ultra safe North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham, the Liberal Democrats will fancy their chances in the impending contest.   In the late 1990s, the Lib Dems had polled quite well in this part of Devon, coming within 1,600 votes of winning the seat in 1997.

Tiverton and Honiton includes the towns of Tiverton, Axminster, Seaton, Honiton, and Cullomtpon.   The farmland in this seat is criss- crossed with rivers and includes part of the Blackdown Hills.  It is an economically active area where unemployment is half that of the national average.