Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond Is Back In The Tory Fold
Decision is made just before the Commons votes for pre-Christmas election
Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond is back in the Conservative fold having had the whip returned by Prime Minister Boris Johnson today (October 29).
He had rebelled in the House of Commons over the issue of a no-deal Brexit, voting against the Government on some key bills and abstaining on others. He was expelled from the Parliamentary Conservative Party in September.
But just before the Commons voted today for an early General Election on December 12, Mr Hammond was one of ten former Conservatives who had the whip restored.
Eleven former Tories. including Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond, will remain as Independents. They were not on the list of reprieved Conservatives.
Stephen Hammond told Sky's Beth Rigby he was "very pleased" to have the whip back. "I did what I did to stop No Deal," he added.
The 2016 EU referendum saw 77.2% of those who voted in Wimbledon back the 'Remain' campaign. Mr Hammond, who has represented Wimbledon since 2005, won 46.5% of the vote in 2017.
The local Conservative Party is yet to name its candidate for the forthcoming election, while the Lib-Dem candidate is local Councillor Paul Kohler and the Labour candidate is local teacher Jackie Schneider.
October 29, 2019