Claudia Webb, the MP accused and found guilty of threatening to throw acid in the face of a love rival and distribute revealing pictures of her, has been ranting again in Parliament. The question is, why has she even been allowed back into the House in the first place? Do they allow convicted criminals to speak? She should have been banned from entering until her sentence has been completed at the very least.
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What happens when an MP receives a criminal conviction?
If an MP receives a sentence of 12 months or under, even if it is suspended, they can expect to face a recall petition if their appeal fails. If they receive a sentence of over 12 months, they automatically lose their seat.
Webbe, now an independent MP, was handed a 10-week jail term – suspended for two years – and 200 hours’ community service at Westminster magistrates court. This means there will be an automatic recall petition in Leicester East if her appeal fails.
If 10% of the electorate within the constituency sign the recall petition, a byelection is called.
If there is a byelection, could Webbe stand again?
She could, but not as a Labour candidate. She was expelled from the party upon sentence, a Labour spokesperson confirmed. It is understood the expulsion process began when she was convicted.
Given her conviction, will Webbe be able to vote in parliament while she appeals her sentence and will she still receive her salary?
She will.
How long could it take for her appeal to be heard?
Given the current backlog of court cases, it could be many weeks.
Have there been similar cases of an MP receiving a serious criminal conviction and continuing to vote in parliament while they appeal?
Yes. Fiona Onasanya, the former Labour MP for Peterborough, was convicted for perverting the course of justice in December 2018 and became the first sitting MP in 28 years to be jailed after being sentenced to three months imprisonment.
Onasanya served a month of her sentence and was allowed to vote in parliament while tagged. Her final appeal was refused in March 2019, triggering the recall process and a byelection in June 2019 – won by Lisa Forbes for Labour.
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Nah, I don’t think that is the question we should be asking, really though, is it?
The biggy question I want an answer to is why did the Government favour their cronies over PPE contracts why are they getting away with it. Using a deadly pandemic to bung your mates a few bob of public money is disgusting.
Bringing up what Claudia Webb did (and what she did was despicable, by the way) shouldn’t muddy the waters and divert from that biggy question.
The governments corruption isn’t connected to her or what she did. She’s been dealt with under the law and like everyone else is entitled to an opinion on the Governments revolting cronyism.
And I don’t think what she said on Twitter was a rant. Just saying what a lot of people think, me included.
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I’ve been following the readings of the “chaos theories” recently - this all seems to fit ??
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The rant I alluded to wasn’t on Twitter, it was in the HoC.
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@Maree , Yes, l agree, the PPE issue is far more important than
petty personal issues !
Parliament has always been self serving, but it is always worse
when the Tories are in power !!
Donkeyman! 
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Was it this one then? This is her return speech in the HOC.
I wouldn’t describe that as a rant either. It would have been more interesting if she did rant a bit. Lordy, she’s a poor public speaker and boring with it.
But she makes some very valid points about the Government and their indifference to the plight of those on low incomes while looking after their own and the unfairness of the current situation. So I agree with what she said. And as she’s still an MP representing the interests of her constituents, she’s well entitled to say it.
Just wish she’d said it in a more ranty interesting and passionate way without the IPad autocue!