She was found guilty of lying to avoid a speeding ticket
Fionana Onasanya, who has served as the Member of Parliament for Peterborough since June 2017, has become the first MP ever to be ousted by a recall petition.
Onasanya was jailed after lying about a speeding offence to avoid a ticket. As a result of her conviction, the 35-year-old was expelled from the Labour party and served her constituency as an independent.
She was found guilty of perverting the course of justice in December and sentenced to three months in prison.
As a result, she is now the first parliamentarian to be removed from office after a recall petition received 19,261 signatures, according to Peterborough City Council.
The council said the signatures represented 27.6% of eligible residents, with the threshold required to remove Ms Onasanya only 10%.
The Speaker, John Bercow, announced on Wednesday night that the petition had been successful, telling the Commons: “Fiona Onasanya is no longer the member for Peterborough and the seat is accordingly vacant.”
“She can therefore no longer participate in any parliamentary proceedings as a member of parliament,” he added.
She will also stop receiving her parliamentary salary, expenses and pension payments immediately.
A byelection will now take place for the vacant Peterborough seat, with Onasanya free to stand for reelection, should she choose.
