The petition was launched after the probe into bullying allegations was published
Over 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for Dominic Raab to resign his parliamentary seat and trigger a by-election. The petition was started by the Liberal Democrats and says Raab “is not fit to be Esher and Walton’s MP any longer” following a bullying inquiry which upheld two allegations against him.
Raab resigned as justice secretary and deputy prime minister as a result of the probe. However, he remains the Conservative MP for Esher and Walton.
The Liberal Democrats told Left Foot Forward that of the signatures on the petition, 400 are constituents in Raab’s Surrey seat.
Speaking after the inquiry was published, the Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “Dominic Raab is on notice. The Liberal Democrats are preparing a by-election level ground campaign with thousands of activists ready to send Dominic Raab and the Conservatives a message they can’t ignore.
“For years residents of Esher and Walton have been represented by a Conservative Minister who has put party interests first and them last. Now, they deserve a local champion who will fight for them.
“One thing is clear, we need a by-election now. Only the Liberal Democrats can deliver a hammer blow to the Conservatives in their formerly true blue heartlands.”
In the 2019 general election, the Liberal Democrats came close to unseating Raab in Esher and Walton, falling less than 3,000 votes short. The party is increasingly confident that they can win the seat the next time voters go to the polls.
Of all the seats where the Lib Dems came second in 2019, Esher and Walton has the ninth smallest gap between themselves and the winning party, and the constituency is a key brick in the so called ‘blue wall’ – Tory seats in the south of England the Liberal Democrats are hoping to gain. Having won three of these seats from the Tories in by-elections since 2021, the Lib Dems’ hope for a parliamentary resurgence are pegged on places like Esher and Walton.
Raab has so far given no indication he intends to resign his seat.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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