• Keep the police our of politics

    From Robert Henderson@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 26 03:30:30 2022
    It is dangerous to have the police he police getting involved in politics. Nor is it necessary because Parliament has the means to remove a PM using a vote of no confidence.

    In addition Tory MPs can pass a .vote of No Confidence in Johnson which will spark a Tory leadership election (which Johnson has said he will fight).

    There is also the power to recall an MP by electors in a constituency

    https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05089/

    Conditions to trigger recall
    MPs can be recalled under three circumstances:

    Conviction in the UK of any offence and sentenced or ordered to be imprisoned or detained, after all appeals have been exhausted. Note – a sentence over 12 months in jail automatically disqualifies someone from being an MP;
    Suspension from the House following report and recommended sanction from the Committee on Standards for a specified period (at least 10 sitting days, or at least 14 days if sitting days are not specified);
    Convicted of an offence under section 10 of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 (making false or misleading Parliamentary allowances claims). Note – the sentence does not have to be custodial for this condition.
    If one of the conditions is met the Speaker of the House must notify the local returning officer. They are known as a petition officer when dealing with a recall petition.

    The recall petition
    The petition officer will arrange for the petition to be open for six weeks. Electors may sign in person at a signing station or sign by post or by proxy.

    For a recall petition to be successful 10% of eligible registered voters need to sign the petition. If the 10% threshold is reached the petition officer informs the Speaker of the House of Commons. On the giving of that notice the seat becomes vacant.

    A by-election is then required. The recalled MP may stand as a candidate. The timing of a UK Parliamentary by-election is determined by custom of the House of Commons: the party that previously held the seat will usually decide when to trigger the by-
    election.

    If the 10% threshold is not reached the recall fails and the MP retains their seat.

    Finally, a General election will have to be held at the latest on 2 May 2024 when the electors can express their view about Johnson's behaviour overall if he is still PM. RH

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