Conservative
MP Nadine Dorries is swapping the political jungle for the Australian
rainforest and becoming a contestant on a reality TV show. Picture: AP Source:
AP
Charles Miranda, News Limited Network, reports
A British politician has been booted out of Parliament after she flew to Australia to star in the British version of the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
Tory MP Nadine Dorries created fury in Westminster after she flew to Queensland to star in the show which starts this weekend and defended her absence claiming it was a platform from which she could discuss important constituency issues.
The 55-year-old politician’s absence, from her East England seat of Mid Bedfordshire, was undeclared and would men she was likely to miss a mini UK budget as well as an important vote on the EU budget to instead eat bugs in a “jungle” on the NSW-Queensland border with other B-Grade celebrities.
The ruling Conservatives suspended Ms Dorries as a Party MP until the matter could be investigated further and a formal meeting held with Chief Whip George Young when she returned from Australia.
"The concern is that she will not be doing parliamentary or constituency business in the meantime," a spokesman said of her expected one month absence while she bums around the Aussie bush.
Prime Minister David Cameron had initially said her trip to Australia was a matter for herself to decide what her priorities are but then his Home Secretary Theresa May was more critical declaring: “Frankly I think an MP's job is in their constituency and in the House of Commons”.
Hours later and after divided opinions expressed by dozens of MPs on Twitter, the federal party suspended her.
Ms Dorries who has been the Member for seven years earns more than AUD$100,000 a year as a parliamentarian but will earn an additional $60,000 by appearing in the show thereby taking a second salary without permission.
Her local party chairman Paul Duckett said locals would take a severe view of their local member being absent to star on a TV show.
Mr Duckett said he was attempting to speak to the Member but she landed today in Queensland to meet with the show’s producers.
“If that us what she is doing we will be taking a very severe view,” he said.
“There is a range of actions open to us, everything from reprimand, delisting, deselection for the next election.”
He later added: “If the party in Westminster has decided to suspend the whip temporarily, then that obviously has an impact on what we do here. If the membership feel that she has in any way denigrated the role of MP or lost her own credibility, appropriate action will be taken.”
The MP had earlier justified her appearance telling The Sun newspaper she was doing the show because 16 million people watched it and that is where MPs should be going to make their opinions known.
One Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston was “horrified” by Ms Dorries move.
"We have a serious issue in Parliament with under-representation of women... This sends out entirely the wrong message about why women are important in Parliament.
"I think it makes us look ridiculous and it brings politics into disrepute. Nadine should decide whether she wants to be a celebrity, and if so - if she wants to be a celebrity - in my view she should resign.”
The British show filmed Australia in the past in a staged rainforest near Springbrook National Park on the Queensland border to eat crocodile penis, camel’s toe, pig bum and kangaroo testicles and tackle supposed jungle spiders and insects.
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