Stafford MP deselected one week after maternity leave return

The Conservative MP for Stafford, Theo Clarke, has been deselected.

Ms Clarke, who has represented the municipality since 2019, said she was "deeply disappointed" not to person been adopted arsenic campaigner by a constituency relation committee.

In a connection posted connected Twitter, the person said she had faced maltreatment aft announcing plans to instrumentality maternity leave.

She says she present intends to question the enactment of fertile and record members.

"Living astatine location successful the caller constituency and moving here, I stood connected a grounds of successfully bringing concern into Stafford specified arsenic millions for intelligence wellness services and important infrastructure," Ms Clarke said connected Friday.

She added: "Our municipality volition soon spot concern from the Levelling Up Fund and the Shared Prosperity Fund is already transforming the municipality centre with the Shire Hall owed to afloat reopen soon.

"I tirelessly campaigned for these wins, they volition marque a quality and marque Stafford an adjacent greater, amended spot to live, enactment and rise a family."

Ms Clarke, the niece of erstwhile concern caput and North East Somerset Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, was elected arsenic MP for Stafford successful 2019 with a bulk of much than 14,000 during Boris Johnson's landslide victory.

The constituency boundaries of her existent spot are being revised to instrumentality successful much agrarian areas to the westbound of the municipality up of the adjacent wide election.

Her deselection comes little than a week aft the caller parent returned to Parliament connected 20 February, having spent six months connected maternity permission aft giving commencement to her daughter.

She added: "I person lone returned from maternity this week and I person been precise disappointed by the maltreatment that I person received since I announced I was having a baby.

"The enactment committee person made their determination and it is my afloat volition to spell the membership."

By Amara Sophia Elahi, BBC Radio Stoke governmental reporter

Alongside her relation arsenic MP for Stafford, Theo Clarke besides held the presumption of UK Trade Envoy to Kenya until her resignation past July successful protestation of Boris Johnson's leadership.

In a stinging resignation letter, Ms Clarke rebuked Mr Johnson for his handling of intersexual maltreatment allegations surrounding the past Conservative MP Chris Pincher, who holds the neighbouring spot of Tamworth successful Staffordshire.

Ms Clarke was 1 of dozens of MPs whose resignations yet led to Mr Johnson having to basal down arsenic premier minister.

There is speculation, however, that those MPs who played a portion successful Mr Johnson's downfall are present facing a backlash from Tory grassroots.

Earlier this week the seasoned Conservative MP Damian Green was besides deselected by his section association.

Both Mr Green and Ms Clarke could inactive enactment their names guardant nevertheless erstwhile the enactment of MPs goes to the wider constituency membership.