Peter Bone’s partner has said she is “proud” to have the former Tory MP on the campaign trail with her after he was booted out of parliament for sexually abusing a member of staff.
Helen Harrison, who is standing in the by-election to replace Mr Bone, also said the panel which found him to have exposed himself to an aide and physically struck him had “got it wrong”.
The local councillor, who has been in a relationship with Mr Bone for years, said she had seen “every single bit of evidence” in the case against the disgraced ex-MP.
“I think the panel got it wrong,” she told the BBC.
Former Tory MP Peter Bone was ousted by voters through a recall petition (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
It came after Mr Bone was spotted on the campaign trail in Wellingborough, where the Conservatives had a chunky 18,540 majority at the 2019 election.
Pollsters have warned that the party’s decision to pick Ms Harrison could add to the partyTories’ woes, with Labour hoping to overturn the majority.
But, hitting back after he was spotted knocking doors for Ms Harrison, she said: “I’m proud to have him as part of my campaign.”
She denied voters are not talking about Mr Bone’s behaviour.
“People are not raising that issue with me,” she said.
“They’re talking to me about the small boats; they’re talking about potholes; they’re talking about their health services [and] getting more police on the beat – those issues that people are going to be voting on in this by-election.”
In October, Mr Bone was found to have indecently exposed himself to a staff member and trapped him in the bathroom of a hotel room.
The parliamentary commissioner for standards upheld five allegations of bullying and one of sexual misconduct against the former Wellingborough and Rushden MP.
Mr Bone, one of the most outspoken pro-Brexit Conservative MPs, was found to have engaged in “violence, shouting and swearing, mocking, belittling and humiliating behaviour, and ostracism”.
Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth in Wellingborough with his party’s candidate, Gen Kitchen
He was suspended from parliament and then lost his seat after constituents backed removing him via a recall petition.
Ms Harrison was selected as the party’s candidate for the seat after Mr Bone reportedly threatened to run as an independent in the by-election – risking a split in the Tory vote – unless she was chosen.
At the time, Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: “Rishi Sunak caving to Peter Bone’s demand to select his partner so he doesn’t run as an independent shows just how weak the Prime Minister is.
“Rishi Sunak is too weak to lead his own party, let alone the country. The people of Wellingborough deserve the best possible candidate to represent them, not the product of a quick political fix.”
