Nadine Dorries

Nadine Dorries
MP

Nadine Dorries delivering her General Election acceptance speech, 8 May 2015
Member of Parliament
for Mid Bedfordshire
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by Jonathan Sayeed
Majority 23,327 (40.2%)
Personal details
Born Nadine Vanessa Bargery
(1957-05-21) 21 May 1957
Liverpool, (then) Lancashire, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Political party Conservative[1]
Spouse(s) Paul Dorries (div.)[2]
Children 3 daughters
Religion Anglican

Nadine Vanessa Dorries (née Bargery; born 21 May 1957) is the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Bedfordshire, a seat she has held since the 2005 general election.

Dorries was born into a working-class family in Liverpool, England. She was originally a nurse and subsequently became a medical representative. During her early career she spent a year in Zambia as the head of a community school. After returning to the UK she founded Company Kids Ltd, which provided child day-care services for working parents. The company was sold in 1998.

Dorries was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for the safe seat of Mid-Bedfordshire, with a majority of 11,355. Since first taking her seat, Dorries has introduced several unsuccessful Private Member's Bills in the House of Commons, including attempts to reduce the time limit for abortion in Great Britain, to change the rules regarding the counselling of the women involved and the advocacy of sexual abstinence for girls in sex education. She is also an opponent of the current Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, and has attempted to have him removed from the post. She has clashed too with her party leader, Prime Minister David Cameron, and described Cameron and chancellor George Osborne as "two arrogant posh boys". In 2008 Dorries won The Spectator magazine's Reader's Representative Award,[3] and in 2012 she was voted best MP on Twitter by the politics.co.uk website.[4]

On 6 November 2012, she was suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party owing to her decision to take part in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! without informing the Chief Whip.[5] The Party whip was returned to Dorries on 8 May 2013.[1] She was re-admitted to the parliamentary party during the following May.[6]

Dorries is on the political right of the Conservative Party.[7] Journalist Quentin Letts has accused other MPs of feeling "envy" for her flamboyance and publicity skills[8] while in 2012 Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman wrote about "how she stands out in Parliament – a tropical bird in amongst all that dull, grey, plumage on the Commons benches."[9] In 2013 Adrian Hilton wrote that Dorries "radiates the sort of plain-speaking, unstuffy approachability which is rapidly becoming rather attractive to the disaffected and disillusioned masses".[10]

Early life

Dorries was born in to an Irish Catholic family,[11] as Nadine Vanessa Bargery in Liverpool. Her father was a bus driver who became a lift operator having suffered from Raynaud’s disease, which had necessitated the amputation of his toes.[11] She was raised in Anfield, Liverpool, and educated at Rose Heath Primary School,[12] and Halewood Grange Comprehensive School (while Alan Bleasdale taught there)[13][14] before her family moved to Runcorn.[12] She grew up on a council estate; her mother later benefitted from the Conservative's "Right to Buy" scheme.[11][15][16]

She entered nursing in 1975 as a trainee at Warrington General Hospital.[17] According to an interview with The Times in 2014, her parents divorced when she was in her teens and, while training to be a nurse at 21, she shared a flat with her father. He died at this time at the age of 42.[11] From 1978 to 1981, she practised as a nurse in both Warrington and Liverpool according to a 2009 report,[18] but in Liverpool and London according to her CV when she was a candidate in 2001.[17] She left the Merseyside area after she married mining engineer Paul Dorries.

In 1982, she became a medical representative to Ethicla Ltd for a year, before spending a year in Zambia (1983–84)[17] as the head of a community school, where her husband ran a copper mine.[2] Dorries founded Company Kids Ltd in 1987 which provided child day-care services for working parents. The company was sold in 1998 to BUPA; Dorries was subsequently a director of the health provider during the following year.[17]

As Nadine Bargery, she was selected as the Prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for Hazel Grove in Spring 2000. Her candidacy split the constituency party, and she was briefly deselected in August[19] before being centrally imposed. Contesting the seat at the 2001 general election, she was unsuccessful in her attempt to succeed the Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Stunell, who retained the seat by 8,435 votes.[20] Dorries worked for three years[21] as a special adviser to Oliver Letwin, then Shadow Chancellor, including managing his relations with the media.[14]

Selection and all-women shortlists

In 2009, she gave this account of her 2005 selection:

"Three weeks before the 2005 general election I, a council estate Scouser, was selected as the Conservative candidate to represent a southern rural constituency. Because the vacancy occurred so quickly and so close to D-day, the party provided my association with a shortlist of seventeen candidates, of which about five were women. Following a long day of interviews in hot sunny rooms, the list was whittled down to a shortlist of three ... I was informed that I had been selected outright on the first ballot ... That pride, that sense of achievement, the knowledge that I was selected on the basis of my performance and merit above all other candidates on that day is what enables me to hold my head up high in this place."[22]

Dorries's account of her own selection appears to contradict a news report which The Times ran at the time, reporting that Conservative Campaign Headquarters placed a majority of women on the shortlist and pressed for the selection of a female candidate:

"Mrs Dorries, who has three teenage children, easily beat her 11 rivals and won the plum safe seat on the first ballot at the selection this weekend. Party officials were thrilled that the seat has gone to a woman. Previously, only two women had been selected in the 17 safe seats where sitting MPs have retired. Senior party figures had made clear to local dignitaries that they would like the seat to go to a woman and presented the constituency with a shortlist of seven women and five men to underline the point."[23]

In a debate on Woman's Hour, broadcast on 22 August 2001, Dorries (as Nadine Bargery) had advocated all-women shortlists if the behaviour of Conservative selection committees did not change.[24] In 2009 though, Dorries was highly critical of David Cameron's proposal to consider using all-women shortlists, arguing against a move which would create "two classes of MPs". She wrote that "Sometimes I feel sorry for some of the Labour women who were selected via all-women shortlists. Everyone knows who they are. They are constantly derided."[22]

Parliament of 2005–2010

Entering parliament

Dorries was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for the safe seat of Mid-Bedfordshire on the retirement through ill health after a series of scandals of Jonathan Sayeed, with a majority of 11,355, and made her maiden speech on 25 May 2005.[25] She was re-elected in 2010, with an increased majority and a swing of 2.3% from the Lib Dems.[26]

Dorries, described as "a right-wing, working-class Conservative",[27] is a member of the socially conservative Cornerstone Group.[28] A Christian, she has said in an interview for a Salvation Army newspaper: "I am not an MP for any reason other than because God wants me to be. There is nothing I did that got me here; it is what God did. There is nothing amazing or special about me, I am just a conduit for God to use."[29]

Dorries initially supported the attempt of David Davis to become Conservative leader in 2005[30] but later withdrew her endorsement.[31] David Cameron, the successful candidate, though "represent[s] everything that through my life . . . [I have] been suspicious of."[32] In May 2007, she criticised Cameron for ignoring the recommendations of the Conservative public policy working group in favour of grammar schools.[33] However, she did defend the selection of Elizabeth Truss in 2009, whose Conservative candidature was called into question after an extra-marital affair was revealed.[34]

Dorries served as a member of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee. In the year to November 2008, she attended only 2% of sessions.[35] The committee then reformed as the Science and Technology Select Committee; she did not attend a single session.[36] In 2010, she was elected to the Health Select Committee.[37]

Abortion time limits

Dorries has said she witnessed "botched" abortions on two occasions,[2][38] an experience that influenced her campaign to lower the point during a pregnancy at which an abortion can be performed.[16]

On 31 October 2006, Dorries introduced a Private Member's Bill in the House of Commons, which would have reduced the time limit for abortion in Great Britain from 24 to 21 weeks; introduced a ten-day 'cooling-off' period for women wishing to have an abortion, during which time the woman would be required to undergo counselling; and accelerate access to abortion at the end of the cooling-off period.[39][40] Dorries alleged she had received death threats from pro-choice activists and was given police protection.[40] Parliament voted by 187 to 108 to reject the bill.[41]

In May 2008, she tabled an amendment to the proposed Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill seeking to reduce the upper limit for abortions to 20 weeks from the current 24 weeks of pregnancy. Reportedly written by Andrea Williams[42] then of The Lawyers' Christian Fellowship,[43] Dorries has denied that her campaigning on the abortion issue receives funding from Christian fundamentalist groups, although Dorries website for the "20 Reasons for 20 Weeks" campaign in 2008 was registered by Christian Concern For Our Nation (CCFON), another organisation with which Williams is involved; one of the pressure group's interns set up the website without charge to Dorries.[44]

Dorries' amendment was defeated by 332 votes to 190, with a separate 22 week limit opposed by 304 votes to 233 - with MPs continuing to support the 24 week limit.[45] She said of her tactics on this issue in 2007: "If I were to argue that all abortions should be banned, the ethical discussions would go round in circles ... My view is that the only way forward is to argue for a reduction in the time limit ... it’s every baby’s right to have a life."[29]

Damian McBride email affair

In April 2009, Dorries claimed to have commenced legal action following the leaked publication of emails sent by Damian McBride, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's head of strategy and planning, which suggested spreading a rumour that Dorries had a one-night stand with a fellow MP, in an email to Derek Draper, a Labour-supporting blogger.[18][46][47] McBride resigned and Dorries denounced the accusation as libellous: "[t]he allegations regarding myself are 100 per cent untrue",[48] and demanded an apology[18] intent on exposing the Number 10 "cesspit".[49]

Brown subsequently said he was "sorry" and that he took "full responsibility for what happened".[50] Dorries threatened libel proceedings against McBride, Draper and Downing Street but failed to carry out that threat. McBride paid Dorries an undisclosed sum, estimated at £1,000 plus £2,500 towards her costs.[51]

Expenses claims

In May 2009 The Daily Telegraph, as part of its exposure of MPs' expenses claims, questioned whether the property in Dorries's constituency, on which she claimed £24,222 Additional Costs Allowance (for "secondary" housing costs), had been in fact her main or only home from 2007 onwards.[52] The newspaper also queried hotel bills including one for 'Mr N Dorries': these had been disallowed by the Fees Office and Dorries said they were submitted by mistake. On 22 May she went on BBC Radio 4 to draw parallels between the McCarthy 'Witch-Hunts' and the press's 'drip-drip' revelation of MP's expenses, eliciting David Cameron's public criticism.[53] She claimed everyone was fearing a 'suicide', and colleagues were constantly checking up on each other.[54] Later in the day her blog was taken down. It transpired that Withers, lawyers acting for the Barclay Brothers, the owners of the Daily Telegraph, had required the removal of the blog, on threat of libel action against the service provider.[55]

In January 2010, it emerged that Dorries was being investigated by John Lyon, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, regarding her claim for second home expenses[56] There was some debate as to the location of her main home.[57] It was also revealed that Dorries had claimed £20,000 in office expenses for work undertaken by a media relations and public affairs company.[56]

High heels at work

In late 2009 Nadine Dorries campaigned against what she called "a proposal to ban the wearing of high heels in the office"[58] which was to be debated at the 2009 Trades Union Congress (TUC). The motion, submitted to the TUC by the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, pointed out that "around two million days a year are lost through sickness as a result of lower limb disorders" and that "many employers in the retail sector force women workers to wear high heels as part of their dress code". It did not call for a ban on high heels at work, but rather called on employers to consider the health impact of their dress codes and encourage the wearing of healthy, comfortable shoes.[59]

Criticism of Speaker Bercow

Dorries is an opponent of the current Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow. Prior to his election in June 2009, she accused him of opportunism and disloyalty to the Conservative Party and questioned his mental stability.[60] She described his election as "a two-fingered salute to the British people from Labour MPs, and to the Conservative Party".[61] After Bercow's wife, Sally, was approved as a Labour parliamentary candidate and gave an interview about her personal life, Dorries argued that the Bercows were damaging the historic respect accorded to the office of Speaker.[62]

Benefit claimants

In February 2010 Dorries took part in the Channel 4 documentary series Tower Block of Commons, in which MPs stay with welfare claimants.[63]

In October 2010, Dorries suggested that benefit claimants who made more than 35,000 postings on Twitter should be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions. On being told by the Bedfordshire on Sunday newspaper that one of her constituents was out of work because of ill health and had posted more than 37,000 tweets, Dorries told the newspaper that her constituent's tweeting gave housebound disabled people a bad name.[64]

Parliament of 2010–2015

Bercow and Dorries' new expenses issues

She was reportedly part of a plot to oust John Bercow from the Speaker's chair in the run up to the 2010 general election,[65] and, after the election, sent an email to all new MPs advocating his removal.[66] Writing in the Daily Mail, just before his tenure was reapproved, she objected to Bercow's abandonment of the speaker's "magnificent" ceremonial clothes and placed herself among those MPs who accuse him of not carrying forward "the great tradition of authority, control and impartiality".[67]

On 9 May 2010, two days after regaining the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency in the general election, The Sunday Times revealed that Dorries was facing the first complaint about an MP's expenses claim of the new parliament. The newspaper reported that she had claimed around £10,000 for an annual report in 2007 on her performance as an MP, but that her former Commons researcher had never seen the report or worked on it.[68] Dorries insisted that she had indeed published the report, placing a photograph of it on her blog.[69] She subsequently told the Biggleswade Advertiser that the report was never printed and a credit note issued with refund on 13 September 2008.[70]

On 13 January 2011 it was announced by the Daily Mirror that police were investigating Dorries concerning her expenses.[71] Three days later, The Sunday Times reported that police had since handed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration.[72] In February 2013, it was reported that Dorries was being investigated by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority over her expenses, although no specific details were given at this time.[73]

On 27 June 2013, Dorries announced she would no longer claim her personal expenses as an MP, but would draw on her salary for such costs. She argued that she would be in a better position to campaign for the abolition of the present expenses arrangements by doing so.[74] Dorries herself stood for election as a deputy speaker after one of the three posts became vacant. In the Commons vote during October 2013 she gained the support of 13 MPs, and was the first of the six candidates to be eliminated in the voting process.[75]

Blog

A complaint from the Liberal Conspiracy website, regarding Dorries' use of the House of Commons' Portcullis emblem on her blog, had been upheld in March 2008, on the basis that Dorries "gave the impression it had some kind of parliamentary endorsement or authority."[76]

On 21 October 2010, the MP's standards watchdog criticised Dorries for maintaining a blog which would "mislead constituents" as to how much actual time she was spending in her constituency. Dorries admitted "My blog is 70% fiction and 30% fact. It is written as a tool to enable my constituents to know me better and to reassure them of my commitment to Mid Bedfordshire. I rely heavily on poetic licence and frequently replace one place name/event/fact with another."[77] Referring to her main home being in Gloucestershire[78] she said "I have always been aware that should my personal domestic arrangements become the knowledge of my political opponents, they would be able to exaggerate that to good effect."[77] Another example given was that Dorries falsely claimed in her blog that her daughter was going to school in the constituency.

She gave an explanation of the statement to her local newspaper, in which she revealed that her whereabouts on her blog had been disguised, on police advice, because of unwanted attention. She also claims that she made the statement in order to protect her staff and family.[79]

On 27 October 2010 Dorries partially retracted her 70% fiction claim, posting a blog entry which stated that "It also only takes any individual with a smattering of intelligence to see that everything on the blog is accurate, because it is largely a record of real time events. It was only ever the perception of where I was on any particular day which was disguised."[80]

The conservative journalist Peter Oborne suggested, in his Telegraph blog a fortnight later, that Cameron should have "ordered Miss Dorries to apologise personally to her constituents, and stripped her of the party whip there and then."[81]

Abstinence advocacy for girls in sex education

On 4 May 2011, Dorries proposed a bill to require that sex education in schools should include content promoting abstinence to girls aged 13 to 16 which was presented as teaching them "how to say no."[82] While sex education already mentions the option of abstinence, the bill would have required active promotion of abstinence to girls, with no such requirement in the education provided to boys. Owing to Dorries' claims about practices used in teaching about sex, Sarah Ditum in The Guardian accused Dorries of making Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) "sound like a terrifying exercise in depravity."[83]

The bill drew criticism from health care and sex education professionals, questioning claims made during the bill's reading.[84] Labour MP Chris Bryant described the bill as being "the daftest piece of legislation I have seen".[85] Dorries accused her opponents of behaving as though she was advocating "the compulsory wearing of chastity belts for all teenage girls."[86]

On 16 May 2011, Dorries appeared to suggest that a lack of awareness of abstinence as a sexual choice among young girls is linked to rates of child sexual abuse. Dorries stated: "If a stronger 'just say no' message was given to children in school, there might be an impact on sex abuse, because a lot of girls, when sex abuse takes place don't realise until later that was a wrong thing to do... I don't think people realise that if we did empower this message into girls, imbued this message in school, we would probably have less sex abuse."[87][88]

The sexual abstinence bill was set for second reading on 20 January 2012 (Bill 185).[89] after she was granted leave to introduce the Bill on a vote of 67 to 61 on 4 May 2011.[90] The Bill, placed eighth on the order paper, was withdrawn shortly before its second reading.[91]

Abortion counselling

Dorries proposed amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 which would have blocked abortion services such as BPAS and Marie Stopes International from providing counselling services. She argued that these organisations had a vested financial interest in encouraging abortions,[92] but according to Zoe Williams "independent" counselling services could be "faith-based groups" intent on discouraging women from having an abortion.[93] David Cameron's government at first supported the proposal, but later changed its mind,[94] reportedly because Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg was opposed to the change.[95] Her criticism of Cameron's change of mind was supported by some commentators such as Cristina Odone[96] who shares Dorries concerns.[97] Clegg's apparent opposition was for Dorries a means of "blackmailing our Prime Minister",[98] and a question regarding Lib Dems influence was the source of Cameron's description of Dorries as "extremely frustrated" at Prime minister's questions on 7 September.[99] Cameron was criticised by feminists[100] among others for the comment, and subsequently apologised.[101]

The issue of abortion counselling was debated in the Commons immediately following this incident. The motion was originally seconded by Labour MP Frank Field, but he withdrew his support after health minister Anne Milton intervened to suggest the government would support the "spirit" of Dorries amendment.[102] The amendment was lost by 368 votes to 118, a majority of 250.[103] Despite this, Dorries claimed a victory because of Milton's comments.[102]

Visit to Equatorial Guinea with other MPs

In August 2011 Nadine Dorries led the first delegation of British members of Parliament to Equatorial Guinea.[104] Equatorial Guinea is a small African country, but the third biggest oil producer on the continent, ruled since 1979 by the President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. It has one of the worst human rights records on the continent.[105] Although she met the prime minister of Equatorial Guinea, Ignacio Milam Tang, she did not mention this high-level meeting in her blog. She has been quoted as saying to him: "We are here to dispel some of the myths about Equatorial Guinea and also with humility to offer you help to avoid the mistakes we have made."[104] According to the official website of Equatorial Guinea, Dorries was one of nine British MPs on the trip.[106]

Criticism of Cameron, Clegg and Osborne

On 6 March 2012, Dorries attacked Cameron and Nick Clegg of the Coalition over their taxation policies. Referring to the proposed cuts in child benefit, she told the Financial Times "The problem is that policy is being run by two public schoolboys who don't know what it's like to go to the supermarket and have to put things back on the shelves because they can't afford it for their children's lunchboxes. What's worse, they don't care, either".[107] She again criticised Cameron, and also George Osborne, in similar terms on 23 April, calling them "two arrogant posh boys who don't know the price of milk - who show no remorse, no contrition and no passion to want to understand the lives of others".[108][109] Following Dorries' claim, in a Mail on Sunday article, that Cameron could be replaced within a year,[110] George Osborne said on The Andrew Marr Show on 6 May: "Nadine Dorries, for the last seven years, I don't think has agreed with anything either myself, David Cameron, or indeed most Conservatives in the leadership of the party have done".[111] In the summer, Dorries criticised Osborne again for sending a badly briefed junior treasury minister, Chloe Smith, to deputise for him on Newsnight in order to defend a government u-turn on fuel duty.[112]

Same-sex marriage

Dorries opposed the government's ultimately successful legislation to introduce same-sex marriage. In May 2012, on the Conservative Home website she wrote: "Gay marriage is a policy which has been pursued by the metro elite gay activists and needs to be put into the same bin [as reform of the House of Lords]".[113][114] In an interview with Mehdi Hasan in October 2012, Dorries said she favoured gay marriage, but only after Britain has left the European Convention on Human Rights.[115] In an exchange with Iain Dale around the same time, she speculated that issue could cost her (then) party 4 million votes at the next general election.[116]

In February 2013, at the time of the Bills second reading in the House of Commons, she argued that the bill being put forward before parliament avoided the issue of consummation and thus contradicted the Marriages Act 1973, and therefore did not make gay marriage equal to heterosexual marriage.[117] She also argued that there was no provision for adultery, or faithlessness, as it might apply to gay couples because the term applies to heterosexual couples only.[118][119]

Reality TV and temporary suspension

Wikinews has related news: UK Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate Nadine Dorries reality TV appearance

Dorries became the first sitting MP to participate in a reality TV show since George Galloway (in January 2006 on Celebrity Big Brother) when she agreed to appear in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in early November 2012.[5] Other Conservatives objected to her decision,and her constituents were "overwhelmingly negative" on local radio.[120] The Conservative Chief Whip Sir George Young had not been informed of her absence from Parliament.[5] Dorries also failed to inform the chairman of the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association.[121] The Conservative Party suspended Dorries from the party whip after her confirmation that she was planning to be absent from Parliament.[122] John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, received a complaint about her behaviour.[123]

The series began on 11 November 2012, but on 21 November Dorries was the first contestant to be voted out of the I'm a Celebrity contest.[124] Dorries met George Young on 27 November, who asked her to rebuild her relationship with the party; she then sat as an independent MP. The MP continued to deny the whip had been withdrawn, claiming it had merely been suspended.[125]

On 8 May 2013, Dorries regained the Conservative whip without any conditions having been applied.[6] George Osborne reportedly objected to her regaining the parliamentary whip,[1][126] while commentators speculated that Dorries, should she not be readmitted, might join UKIP,[127][128][129] which had made gains from the Conservatives in the previous week's local elections.[128][130] Peter Oborne observed at this point that Dorries had still not declared the amount she was paid for her appearance on I'm a Celebrity... in the register of members interests, last published on 22 April, despite her promise to do so.[131]

Meanwhile, shortly after regaining the whip, Dorries floated the idea of joint Conservative-UKIP candidates at the next general election in 2015, with herself as such a candidate.[132] "This is not party policy and it's not going to happen", a Conservative Party spokesman told the Press Association.[133][134] Journalist James Delingpole though, on his Telegraph blog welcomed the idea.[135]

Following the publication of a report by the Standards Committee[136] on 11 November 2013 Dorries apologised in the House of Commons to her fellow MPs for two errors of judgement.[137] Her confidentiality agreement with ITV over her fee for appearing on I'm A Celebrity... had led to her refusing to disclose the information to Kathryn Hudson, the parliamentary commissioner for standards. In so doing, she had broken the MP's code of conduct.[138] The all-party standards committee said that she should never have agreed to such a clause in her contract. In addition, Dorries had falsely claimed that payment for eight pieces of work in the media did not need to be declared as they were made to Averbrook, her company, rather than to herself directly.[137] Andy McSmith, writing in The Independent at the beginning of December 2013, disclosed that Dorries had finally disclosed her income (amounting to £20,228 in total) from appearing on I'm a Celebrity... in the register of members' interests.[139]

Employment of family members

Dorries' daughter was among the highest earning family members employed by MPs with a salary of £40,000-45,000 as an office manager. This is despite the fact that her daughter lived 96 miles away from the office. Subsequently her sister was taken on as senior secretary with a salary of £30,000-35,000.[140][141] Ben Glaze, a journalist with the Sunday Mirror, was threatened by Dorries on Twitter for asking questions about the MP's employment practices: "Be seen within a mile of my daughters and I will nail your balls to the floor... using your own front teeth. Do you get that?"[142][143]

Criticism of fellow Conservative MP

In October 2013, Dorries attacked a fellow Conservative MP, Kris Hopkins, as "one of parliament's slimiest, nastiest MP's" on her Twitter account, and criticized Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to promote Hopkins to a junior ministerial post within the Department for Communities and Local Government as "a really awful decision".[144]

Parliament of 2015–2020

Election court petition

On 29 May 2015, the independent candidate in Mid Bedfordshire, Tim Ireland, lodged an appeal against the result accusing Dorries of breaches of section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 by making false statements about his character.[145][146] The development first emerged in early June after the three week petition for such an action had expired.[147] The petition was rejected by the High Court of Justice because it was served at Dorries' constituency office and not her home address.[148]

Author

It became public knowledge in September 2013 that Dorries had signed a three-book deal for a six-figure advance.[149][150] The first book was published the following April.[151]

Her first novel, The Four Streets, became a No.1 best-selling e-book with 100,000 copies sold in the format by July 2014, although print sales in hardback and paperback were significantly lower with, respectively, 2,735 and 637 units sold by then.[152] Drawing on her Liverpool Catholic background, Dorries work of fiction gained mixed reviews. Sarah Ditum in the New Statesman complained that some of sentences "read like clippings from Wikipedia" while Christopher Howse, writing for The Daily Telegraph, thought The Four Streets was "the worst novel I've read in 10 years."[153][154] "You should read the next one. It’s much better", Dorries told Ann Treneman of The Times.[11]

Personal life

Dorries was married to Paul with whom she had three daughters.[155] The couple separated in 2007,[155] and divorced later that year.[2]

Dorries is a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club.[156] She has said that her great-grandfather, George Bargery, was one of the founders of Everton Football Club,[2] and either the club's first goalkeeper,[12] or that he played in goal for the club in its first Football League game, a home game against Accrington.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Isabel Hardman "Exclusive: Nadine Dorries reinstated as a Tory MP", The Spectator (blog), 8 May 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Roya Nikkhah "The Tories' Nadine Dorries: Bridget Jones, MP", Daily Telegraph, 4 November 2007
  3. ↑ "Parliamentarian of the Year Awards Recipients 2008". The Spectator. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  4. ↑ Dunt, Ian (2012-05-15). "The Ten Best MPs on Twitter: One - Nadine Dorries". politics.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  5. 1 2 3 Hélène Mulholland "Tory party suspends Nadine Dorries", The Guardian, 6 November 2012
  6. 1 2 "Nadine Dorries reinstated as Conservative MP", BBC News, 8 May 2013
  7. ↑ Andy McSmith "Nadine Dorries suspended by Conservative party in row over I'm a Celebrity appearance", The Independent, 6 November 2012; Rod Liddle "The meaning of Nadine Dorries", The Spectator, 28 April 2012
  8. ↑ Quentin Letts "Bold Nadine could taste the almond poison of public mirth", Daily Mail, 7 September 2011
  9. ↑ Cathy Newman "Top five political women of 2012", telegraph.co.uk, 28 December 2013
  10. ↑ Hilton, Adrian (10 May 2013). "The Tyranny at the heart of the Conservative Party". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Treneman, Ann (5 April 2014). "The contradictory Nadine Dorries". The Times magazine (London). Retrieved 13 January 2016. (subscription required)
  12. 1 2 3 "Great grandfather George was Everton's first goalkeeper". Liverpool Daily Post (Liverpool: Trinity Mirror). 19 April 2008. p. 7. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  13. ↑ http://www.halewoodcollege.co.uk The school is now known as Halewood College.
  14. 1 2 Meg Carter "The art of spinning: From PR to Parliament", The Independent, 8 January 2007), p. 8
  15. ↑ Rosemary Bennett and Helen Rumbelow, 'Tory joy as ex-nurse is picked for safe seat', The Times, 4 April 2005, p.26
  16. 1 2 Nadine Dorries reveals her Bridget Jones moment, Metro.co.uk (29 October 2008).
  17. 1 2 3 4 Candidate: Nadine Bargery, Conservative, Hazel Grove, BBC News, UK General Election 2001
  18. 1 2 3 Tory MP Demands Apology, Liverpool Echo, 14 April 2009.
  19. ↑ "Tories in seat fight 'shambles'", Manchester Evening News, 3 October 2000
  20. ↑ "General Election results, 7 June 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  21. ↑ "The world according to Nadine Dorries", Daily Telegraph, 4 November 2007, citing Dorries blog
  22. 1 2 Nadine Dorries, all-women shortlists will create two classes of Conservative MP, ConservativeHome (21 October 2009).
  23. ↑ Rosemary Bennett and Helen Rumbelow "Tory joy as ex-nurse is picked for safe seat", The Times, 4 April 2005. This passage is reproduced by 'Unity' "So how did Nadine Dorries MP get selected?", Liberal Conspiracy, 27 October 2009
  24. ↑ "Tory women-only shortlists", Woman's Hour, 22 August 2000. RealPlayer file.
  25. ↑ Hansard at parliament.uk
  26. ↑ "BBC Election 2010 results website". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  27. ↑ Ian Hernon "MPs face tough vote on lowering abortion limit", Liverpool Echo 22 March 2008, p. 16
  28. ↑ Dorries (2007-02-09). Blog entry dated 9 February 2007. Retrieved from http://www.dorries.org.uk/Blog.aspx.
  29. 1 2 Nigel Bovey "MP Calls For Lower Abortion Time Limit", The War Cry, No.6812, 2 June 2007, p.4-5
  30. ↑ George Jones and Brendan Carlin "Davis surges ahead in race to be Tory leader", Daily Telegraph, 7 July 2005
  31. ↑ George Jones "Poll shows Cameron is runaway choice", Daily Telegraph, 20 October 2005
  32. ↑ "10 people Dave should fear: Nadine Dorries", New Statesman, 25 February 2010
  33. ↑ "Cameron set for clash over grammars". Ananova.com. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  34. ↑ Nadine Dorries "Liz Truss case not typical of Tories". The Guardian (Comment is Free), 17 November 2009
  35. ↑ "Revealed: The MPs who skip select committee", Politics.co.uk, 8 April 2009
  36. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/science-technology/science-and-technology-committee-formal-minutes-09-10.pdf
  37. ↑ Robbins, Martin (26 June 2010). "Conservatives put Dumb and Dumber on the health select committee". The Guardian (London).
  38. ↑ See also Ann Treneman "Nadine is Queen for the Day as her marem looks adoringly on", The Times, 21 May 2008
  39. ↑ "Hansard, House of Commons, 31 October 2006". Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  40. 1 2 'Nadine Dorries, the anti life MP who Campaigned for Tighter Abortion Limits, Receives Death Threats', Bedfordshire on Sunday (12 November 2006).
  41. ↑ Retrieved from http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/files/guide_to_nadine_dorries_tmrb.pdf.
  42. ↑ Williams accepts the "fundamentalist" label, see David Modell "Dispatches: Making a giant leap of faith", The Independent, 19 May 2008
  43. ↑ David Modell "Christian fundamentalists fighting spiritual battle in Parliament", Daily Telegraph, 17 May 2008
  44. ↑ Sunny Hundal "The right hand of God", New Statesman, 24 April 2010
  45. ↑ "Politics | MPs back 24-week limit". BBC News. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  46. ↑ Gaby Hinsliff, Observer political editor, and Mark Tran (12 April 2009). "McBride and Draper emails: 'Gents, a few ideas'". London: Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  47. ↑ Hennessy, Patrick (25 April 2009). "Tory MP Nadine Dorries to sue over No10 emails". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 7 May 2009.
  48. ↑ Nadine Dorries "I have become accustomed to the grubby world of British politics. But nothing could prepare me for this", The Independent, 13 April 2009
  49. ↑ "Tory MP targeted in 'smeargate' emails wins damages from No 10 adviser", Daily Telegraph, 29 November 2009
  50. ↑ Andrew Sparrow, "Gordon Brown says sorry for Damian McBride email smears", guardian.co.uk, 16 April 2009
  51. ↑ Hélène Mulholland, et al "Tory MP Nadine Dorries 'has won damages from Damian McBride'", The Guardian, 30 October 2009
  52. ↑ Beckford, Martin (15 May 2009). "Tory MP Nadine Dorries admits she only spends weekends and holidays in her main home". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  53. ↑ Mulholland, Hélène (22 May 2009). "Cameron rebukes Tory MP over 'McCarthyite witch-hunt' comment". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  54. ↑ "MP's fears of expenses 'suicide'", BBC News, 22 May 2009.
  55. ↑ Gaby Hinsliff, Telegraph lawyers shut down Tory MP's blog, guardian.co.uk (23 May 2009).
  56. 1 2 .Swaine, Jon (15 January 2010). "MPs' expenses: Nadine Dorries under investigation by sleaze watchdog". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  57. ↑ Swaine, Jon (23 January 2010). "MPs' expenses: Nadine Dorries's neighbours to give evidence over second home claims". The Telegraph (London). Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  58. ↑ Nadine Dorries (6 August 2009). "High Heels". Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  59. ↑ Trades Union Congress. "Nominations and motions for the 141st annual Trades Union Congress 14–17 September, Liverpool". Trades Union Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  60. ↑ Daily Mail (21 June 2009). "NADINE DORRIES: Bercow is an oily opportunist lacking loyalty and courage... and I speak as a Tory". London. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  61. ↑ BBC (24 June 2009). "The John Bercow story". BBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  62. ↑ The Times (3 December 2009). "Sally Bercow reveals past full of binge-drinking and one-night stands". London. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  63. ↑ "Tower Block Of Commons, Series 1". Channel 4. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  64. ↑ Keeley Knowles "Blogger’s upset at MP’s Twitter claims", Bedfordshire on Sunday, 10 October 2010
  65. ↑ James MacIntyre (7 January 2010). "Speaker cornered". New Statesman. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  66. ↑ The email is cited by Peter Hoskin "Nadine Dorries' Kill Bercow email", The Spectator (blog), 18 May 2010
  67. ↑ Nadine Dorries "Tories in move to axe Speaker John Bercow", Daily Mail, 16 May 2010
  68. ↑ "£10,000 claim makes Tory the first MP in an expenses row". timesonline.co.uk. (subscription required (help)).
  69. ↑ The Blog of Nadine Dorries. Post entitled 2007, posted Saturday, 24 April 2010 at 16:39.
  70. ↑ Biggleswade Advertiser, 12 May 2010
  71. ↑ "Police investigate expenses of Tory MP Nadine Dorries", Daily Mirror, 13 January 2011
  72. ↑ Claire Newell and Jonathan Calvert (16 January 2011). "Six MPs face new fraud allegations". Sunday Times.
  73. ↑ Jones, Sam (15 February 2013). "Nadine Dorries under investigation over expenses claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  74. ↑ "Nadine Dorries to stop claiming parliamentary expenses", BBC News, 27 June 2013
  75. ↑ "Conservative MP Eleanor Laing elected deputy Speaker", BBC News, 16 October 2013
  76. ↑ Cath Elliott "Nadine Dorries's trouble with the truth", The Guardian (Comment is Free website), 22 October 2010
  77. 1 2 Press Association "Nadine Dorries says her MP's blog was '70% fiction'", The Guardian (website), 21 October 2010
  78. ↑ Jon Swaine "MPs’ expenses: Nadine Dorries says 'main home' is tiny Cotswold cottage", Daily Telegraph, 19 March 2010
  79. ↑ "MP rues claims of website blog 'fiction'" Bedfordshire on Sunday, 24 October 2010
  80. ↑ "Nadine Dorries says her MP's blog was '70% fiction'" The blog of Nadine Dorries (blog), 27 October 2010
  81. ↑ Peter Oborne "Our Parliament is rotten to the core", Daily Telegraph (blog), 12 November 2010
  82. ↑ Graeme Paton "Teach schoolgirls to say 'no to sex', Tory MP says", Daily Telegraph, 24 May 2011
  83. ↑ Sarah Ditum "Nadine Dorries's abstinence bill is a definite no-no", The Guardian, 5 May 2011
  84. ↑ Martinson, Jane (4 May 2011). "Nadine Dorries and sex education lessons for girls". The Guardian (London, UK).
  85. ↑ Morris, Nigel (5 May 2011). "MP: Teach girls virtues of virginity". The Independent (London, UK).
  86. ↑ Nadine Dorries "I'm not calling for compulsory chastity belts! But we must teach our girls (and boys) that they can just say NO to sex", Daily Mail, 21 May 2011.
  87. ↑ Vanessa Feltz (16 May 2011). "The Vanessa Show". Channel 5. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  88. ↑ "Nadine Dorries sparks outrage by claiming that teaching teen girls to say no to sex will cut abuse". 18 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  89. ↑ "Sex Education (Required Content)", theyworkforyou.com, 4 March 2011, citing Hansard
  90. ↑ "Sex Education (Required Content) Bill — 4 May 2011 at 12:47", publicwhip.org.uk; accessed 1 June 2015.
  91. ↑ Jessica Shepherd and Paul Owen "Nadine Dorries's sexual abstinence lessons bill withdrawn", guardian.co.uk, The Guarian, 20 January 2012.
  92. ↑ Nadine Dorries "I want to introduce more choice for those seeking abortion, not less", The Guardian, 13 July 2011
  93. ↑ Zoe Williams "Abortion advice from Nadine Dorries is classic backstreet politics", The Guardian, 31 August 2011
  94. ↑ Polly Curtis "Downing Street forces U-turn on Nadine Dorries abortion proposals", The Guardian, 31 August 2011
  95. ↑ Laura Donnelly and Ben Leapman "How the row over abortion advice for women led to bitter political infighting", Daily Telegraph, 3 September 2011
  96. ↑ Cristina Odone "David Cameron is wrong about abortion counselling. He should have supported Nadine Dorries's plan", Daily Telegraph (blog), 1 September 2011
  97. ↑ Cristina Odone "Abortion is about money as well as morals", Daily Telegraph, 29 August 2011
  98. ↑ Joe Churcher and David Hughes (PA) "Lib Dem 'blackmail' on abortion bid", The Independent, 7 September 2011
  99. ↑ Hélène Mulholland "Nadine Dorries storms out of PMQs after David Cameron quip", The Guardian, 7 September 2011
  100. ↑ See Madeleine Bunting "Has the Nadine Dorries incident shown us the real David Cameron?", The Guardian, 8 September 2011 and Barbara Ellen "Frustrated? Yes, with you being a boor, Dave", The Observer, 11 September 2011
  101. ↑ Nadine Dorries "The PM publicly humiliated me in front of the entire nation, what did I do to deserve that?" Mail on Sunday, 11 September 2011
  102. 1 2 Nicholas Watt "Nadine Dorries's abortion proposals heavily defeated in Commons", The Guardian, 7 September 2011
  103. ↑ "Nadine Dorries amendment to health bill debated", BBC News, 7 September 2011
  104. 1 2 Ian Birrell "The strange and evil world of Equatorial Guinea", The Observer, 23 October 2011
  105. ↑ "Equatorial Guinea profile", BBC News, 19 July 2011
  106. ↑ "Guinée équatoriale : Une députée britannique à Malabo". france-guineeequatoriale.org.
  107. ↑ "Lib Dems and Tories wrangle over taxes", Financial Times (ft.com), 6 March 2012
  108. ↑ "MP Dorries calls PM and chancellor 'arrogant posh boys'", BBC News, 23 April 2012
  109. ↑ James Orr "Nadine Dorries: David Cameron and George Osborne are just 'arrogant posh boys'", Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2012
  110. ↑ Nadine Dorries "'Be warned: Party bosses need only 46 signatures to ditch the leader. They'll get them by Christmas': Nadine Dorries attacks David Cameron", Mail on Sunday, 6 May 2012M
  111. ↑ "George Osborne on Nadine Dorries' no confidence call", BBC News, 6 May 2012; transcript from Andrew Sparrow "Nadine Dorries dismissed as serial rebel over resignation comments", The Guardian, 6 May 2012
  112. ↑ "Nadine Dorries attacks ‘submarine Chancellor’". The Sunday Times (London). 1 July 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2016. (subscription required)
  113. ↑ Nadine Dorries "Nadine Dorries MP: Jettison Lords reform; Jettison gay marriage; and focus on jobs, crime and household bills", Conservative Home, 6 May 2012
  114. ↑ David Skelton "I'm Sorry, Dr Fox - Gay Marriage Isn't Just a "Metropolitan Elite" Issue", The Huffington Post, 15 June 2012
  115. ↑ Mehdi Hasan "The Nadine Dorries Interview: On Abortion, Gay Marriage And Why She Wants 'Revenge' Against Cameron And Osborne", The Huffington Post, 31 October 2012
  116. ↑ "Gay marriage: Nadine Dorries and Iain Dale on Tory views", BBC News, 30 October 2012
  117. ↑ Corinne Pinfold "Nadine Dorries: The same-sex marriage bill is ‘political suicide’ and it won’t make gay couples equal", Pink News, 4 February 2013
  118. ↑ "Gay marriage debate in quotes", guardian.co.uk, 6 February 2013
  119. ↑ Thomas Duggins "Adultery and the same-sex marriage bill", The Spectator (blog), 13 February 2013
  120. ↑ Andy McSmith "A new low in parliamentary history? Serving Conservative MP Nadine Dorries takes time out to appear reality television show I'm a Celebrity...", The Independent, 6 November 2012. See also "I'm a Celebrity: MP Nadine Dorries' constituents' views", BBC News, 6 November 2012
  121. ↑ Andrew Thorpe-Apps "Fad Nad Dorries: How celebrity can go to an MP's head". The Backbencher, 8 November 2012
  122. ↑ "Nadine Dorries suspended as Tory MP in I'm a Celebrity row", BBC News, 6 November
  123. ↑ Hélène Mulholland "Nadine Dorries TV appearance rouses parliamentary watchdog". The Guardian, 8 November 2012
  124. ↑ David Batty "Nadine Dorries voted off I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here", The Guardian, 22 November 2012
  125. ↑ Hélène Mulholland "Nadine Dorries kept waiting for Tory whip to be restored", The Guardian, 27 November 2012
  126. ↑ George Eaton "Nadine Dorries's readmission shows Cameron is running scared of UKIP", New Statesman, 8 May 2013
  127. ↑ George Eaton "Could Nadine Dorries defect to UKIP?", New Statesman, 3 May 2013
  128. 1 2 Cathy Newman "How do you solve a problem like Nadine Dorries?", telegraph.co.uk, 7 May 2013
  129. ↑ 'The Mole' "Tories forced to re-embrace 'Mad Nad' Dorries after UKIP threat", The Week, 8 May 2013
  130. ↑ Andy McSmith "After Ukip pain, Tories tread gently around Nadine Dorries", The Independent, 7 May 2013
  131. ↑ Peter Oborne "How much did you earn in the jungle, Nadine Dorries?", telegraph.co.uk (blog), 8 May 2013
  132. ↑ Isabel Hardman "Nadine Dorries interview: why I want to run as a UKIP-Tory joint candidate", The Spectator, 18 May 2013
  133. ↑ PA "Nadine Dorries may stand for election as joint Tory-Ukip candidate", guardian.co.uk, 15 May 2013
  134. ↑ Rowena Mason "Nadine Dorries would be kicked out of Tories again if she stood on joint Ukip ticket", telegraph.co.uk, 15 May 2013
  135. ↑ James Delingpole "Nadine Dorries wants to be the first joint Ukip/Conservative candidate: good idea", telegraph.co.uk, 15 May 2013
  136. ↑ "Standards Committee - Fourth Report: Nadine Dorries", House of Commons, 8 October 2013
  137. 1 2 Rowena Mason "Nadine Dorries apologises to MPs over I'm a Celebrity appearance fee", The Guardian, 11 November 2013
  138. ↑ "MP Nadine Dorries apologises over registering TV fees", BBC News, 11 November 2013
  139. ↑ Andy McSmith "Nadine Dorries reveals humiliation pays, but not as much as we thought it did", The Independent, 2 December 2014
  140. ↑ MP's expenses "MPs' Expenses Bill Soars To Almost £100m", Sky News, 12 September 2013
  141. ↑ "MPs’ expenses surpass pre-scandal levels as 150 give jobs to family". Telegraph.co.uk. 13 September 2013.
  142. ↑ Darren Boyle "Tory MP tells Sunday Mirror reporter 'I'll nail your balls to the floor' in Twitter rant", Press Gazette, 24 November 2013. Ellipsis in the source.
  143. ↑ Jack Rivlin "Nadine Dorries loses her rag – like lots of people with something to hide", Telegraph (blog), 26 November 2013
  144. ↑ Kevin Rawlinson "Nadine Dorries launches Twitter attack on promoted Tory MP", theguardian.com, 8 October 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  145. ↑ Green, Chris (10 June 2015). "Nadine Dorries faces challenge after general election smear campaign allegations". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  146. ↑ Perraudin, Frances (10 June 2015). "Nadine Dorries accused of making false claims about opponent during election". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  147. ↑ Pidd, Helen (4 June 2015). "Deadline expires for legal challenge over George Galloway election defeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  148. ↑ Green,Chris (30 July 2015). "High Court rejects attempt to unseat Nadine Dorries after legal documents sent to wrong address". The Independent (London). Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  149. ↑ "Nadine Dorries signs 'six figure' book deal", BBC News, 13 September 2013
  150. ↑ Daisy Wyatt "Nadine Dorries wins six figure book deal", The Independent, 13 September 2013
  151. ↑ Matthew Holehouse "Holy Mary, Nadine Dorries' new book will be a best seller", Daily Telegraph, 3 April 2014
  152. ↑ Alison Flood "Nadine Dorries' novel The Four Streets reaches No 1 in the charts", theguardian.com, 9 July 2014
  153. ↑ Sarah Ditum "Begorrah! Nadine Dorries’ The Four Streets is a bad novel, riddled with Shamrockese", New Statesman, 19 April 2014
  154. ↑ Christopher Howse "The Four Streets by Nadine Dorries, review: 'the worst novel I've read in 10 years'", The Daily Telegraph, 8 April 2014
  155. 1 2 Rebecca Camber "'Cameron babe' chooses career over husband", Daily Mail, 21 January 2007
  156. ↑ 'Tory MP Demands Apology', Liverpool Echo (14 April 2009), p. 3.

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