Tory MP in dispute over withdrawal of whip
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Conservative MP has accused his own party of "deplorable political dishonesty" after a row erupted over whether he had been sacked or had resigned.
Bob Spink, the MP for Castle Point, interrupted the Budget debate in the Commons to announce he had resigned the party whip "because the Conservative Party has failed to deal with serious criminal and other irregularities in my constituency". It is believed Mr Spink is facing deselection calls from within his local party after accusing an official of the alleged financial irregularities.
Mr Spink emailed the Chief Whip, Patrick McLoughlin, threatening to resign from the party on Tuesday. Mr McLoughlin's response read: "I cannot have MPs making threats to resign the whip at a time of their own choosing, if the demands of the party are not met. I must therefore treat your resignation as taking immediate effect."
Mr Spink said: "For the Conservative Party to now imply they withdrew the whip from me is brass-necked dishonesty."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments