UPDATED (31/5/22): Where's Warburton Ask Somerset Residents No Further Update Since Our Last Enquiries

BBC News

UPDATE (31/5/22): It is now many weeks since Somerton and Frome Tory MP David Warburton went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) as the MP. 

Residents who expect to have an MP do not seem to have one.

Since our enquiries on 5th May, Warburton's website was updated on the following day.

In the Statement, Warburton claimed to have left hospital "weeks ago". There was no update on his website between 7th April and 6th May. 

Warburton also claims that he was "receiving treatment" but also that he:

"continue to respond to enquiries, work on casework, write and speak to Ministers and departments and put questions to them on behalf of constituents, all as normal."

Warburton also claimed that:

"since the stories appeared a month ago, I have still not been contacted by any authority and am currently unaware as to whether any investigation has, in fact, been established."

As we have already pointed out, it was widely reported in the media that Warburton had the Conservative Whip withdrawn, pending the investigation.

Meanwhile, Somerset and Frome residents are kept in the dark.

How can this be acceptable for a Member of Parliament that hold elected public office?

What is the full truth?

Residents deserve to know.

And residents would like Warburton to submit a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister, following the illegal parties and Boris Johnson's lies to Parliament. But they don't seem to be able to contact him?

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UPDATE (5/5/22): Now Conservative Councillor is back-tracking on what she tweeted about David Warburton. She claims now that she meant to tweet that she did not know more than anyone else!

Cllr Oliver has also tweeted to say that Partygate (the Prime Minster and Cabinet and Downing Street staff breaking the laws that they set) is not an important issue to the public. We know that she is wrong on that too!

Can you believe anything the Tories tweet or say!

The Tory dishonesty and lies start at the top with Boris Johnson, carry on right through MPs like David Warburton and onto councillors like Linda Oliver.

We repeat our call for DBS checks for all political candidates.

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UPDATE (1/5/22): BBC News is reporting today that the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle and former (Tory) Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom are calling for "urgent changes".

Amongst mention of 56 MPs accused, and the resignation of Tiverton (Devon) MP, Tory Neil Parish for watching porn in the Chamber (yes, really!), Somerton and Frome Tory MP David Warburton is named at the end of the article under the heading "Things haven't changed".

"Behaviour at Westminster has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks, with three cabinet ministers reportedly among 56 MPs facing allegations of sexual misconduct referred to the ICGS.

At the beginning of April, Conservative MP David Warburton was suspended from the party pending an investigation into alleged sexual harassment."

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope responds to the news:

Andrew Pope

"Power comes with responsibility. But the current crop are irresponsible.

Are these MPs actually serious about improving the character of Members of Parliament? I question their sincerity.

Do Labour and the Tories really want to do this?

Because of the First Past The Post system of election, they are the majority of MPs. If they really want real change, they must be the ones to make it.

Why have they taken so long to not sort it out? 

Labour has had over 100 years to sort it out, and the Tories even longer.

Or is this "Speakers Conference" an attempt to pretend they care, to smooth things over, cover things up and to have a review to avoid making real change, calm things down and then quietly let dodgy MPs carry on?

Somerset Independents has been campaigning for ALL political candidates, from MPs to councillors and Police and Crime Commissioners, to be subject to Disclosures and Barring Service (DBS) checks BEFORE they can even be a candidate for election. 

In Somerset, the response and lack of help for our campaign from elected representatives in the Westminster parties is very revealing. We contacted all councillors and MPs on multiple occasions. They are aware of our campaign but have not actively supported it.

It shows that locally, Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Tories don't want an improvement in the candidates. Some of them even suggested it should be the PARTIES and not the independent returning officer that does the checks. NO, the Westminster parties have shown that they cannot be trusted - 56 MPs are just the tip of the iceberg!

Perhaps the Westminster parties prefer Somerset's councillors to be able to commit criminal offences before being in office and even while in office - as we have shown. 

For example, Mendip District Council and Somerset County Council have refused to report Green Councillor Francis Hayden and Former Tory Neil Bloomfield to Avon and Somerset Police, despite the evidence in minutes of meetings that these councillors broke the law in voting on the council budget despite being disbarred due to council tax arrears? Somerset Independents exposed these councillors - the officers of the councils did not.

If investigated and found guilty, these councillors would have a criminal record and be disbarred from standing for office. That is what needs to happen to protect Somerset's residents.

The previous Leader of South Somerset District Council, Lib Dem Ric Pallister, was found guilty of a series of crimes and recently jailed for 11 years. Former Lib Dem Leader of Devon County Council, Brian Greenslade, was also recently found guilty of a series of sexual offences.

DBS checks would not be a panacea but they would improve the calibre of candidates and therefore of all elected representatives. That is what Somerset people deserve and what Somerset people want.

Clearly the current measures are totally inadequate. Perhaps Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Tories prefer it that way?

Until they agree with our campaign and make it law, we will continue to question them and will continue to work with concerned Somerset residents to hold dodgy MPs and councillors to account for their crimes and their misdemeanours.

The latest one being the robbery of democracy in Somerset that will be completed in 2023 when the New Somerset Council unitary authority will mean the scrapping of five councils - against the wishes of Somerset residents."

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Somerset Independents reported on the investigation into Conservative Somerton and Frome MP David Warburton, and our actions over the years to hold him to account which included contacting the Conservative MPs' Chief Whip Mark Spencer.

Constituents and Somerset residents are being left in the dark and without a Member of Parliament.

The last update was that Warburton went into hospital and at the time of writing, this is still the case according to Warburton's own website.

It reads:

"Statement from the Office of David Warburton MP

Thursday, 7 April, 2022

David has been admitted to hospital. David’s office is running as normal, so if you have any constituency queries or casework, please do get in touch in the usual way by emailing david.warburton.mp@parliament.uk."

Some constituents viewed this as malingering and others viewed it as going into hiding. 

Other constituents noticed that it made no difference because Warburton never responded to them anyway and did not represent them anyway... something which we took up with Mark Spencer who refused to intervene on Warburton.

So we asked on your behalf...

We have news from a local Conservative Councillor - not a friend of ours but a constant critic of ours - but someone who claimed to us to know better than anyone else about the situation. She did bother to respond, unlike David Warburton.

It is Conservative Councillor Linda Oliver who represents Frome North. Here is how her election was reported when Lib Dem Sam Phripp quit, amid "claims of bullying" (it's unclear whether he was alleged to have bullied or vice versa). 

The Leveller Actually Defends Warburton!

We feel that it is important that we investigate and publish updates about David Waburton's situation because we are very concerned that the normally investigative and inquisitive organ "The Leveller" decided to get its defence in early and seemed to be showing their support for Mr Warburton - at a time when scrutiny of Mr Warburton should be at its optimum level. 

In a post on Leveller Confidential, the Editor Andrew Lee seemed to want to head off the fact that they have had a long-term relationship with David Warburton.

Lee said:

"I could tell you that (Warburton's) alleged conduct is unrecognisable to me and completely out of character"

We leave it to you to decide whether this was an appropriate relationship or not, and whether The Leveller "went easy" on him, once you have read Mr Lee's defence of Warburton.

Somerset - An Entire County Almost Bereft Of Active Journalism in the Public Interest

In the light of this bizarre communication from The Leveller, and the lack of information from other Somerset news organisations (for evidence, see below)*, we believe that it is important that residents know what is going on and that Somerset residents cannot rely on other reporters to keep residents updated.

So what did Councillor Linda Oliver say, when we asked her?

Here is the beginning of the Twitter thread from 27th April 2022:

Cllr Oliver, what's happening with the Tory Somerset and Frome MP David Warburton, who has gone Absent Without Leave? You love Twitter, please tell everyone...

— Somerset Independents Putting Residents First (@SomerInds) April 27, 2022

Councillor Oliver said:

"I know more than anyone else. I understand as of Friday last week the committee dealing with this have not let him know what allegations he’s facing. He’s was still in hospital and cannot comment or defend hinself until he knows what exactly he needs to defend."

We asked Cllr Oliver:

"But the Chief Whip did know? This was reported widely that the Chief Whip spoke to Warburton."

She replied:

"Cannot comment since no formal allegations have been said to him yet to address. Let the system do its job."

We said:

"Meanwhile the people of Somerton and Frome don't have an MP."

And here is her attitude and that of the Conservative Party in Somerset:

"I understand someone is managing the office and there are still plenty of councillors across Somerset who could mo doubt help in some way."

Leader of Somerset Independents, and twice former Parliamentary Candidate, Andrew Pope says:

Andrew Pope

"So for years constituents have complained to us at Somerset Independents that David Warburton does not respond to them or represent them.

I took this direct to his "boss", the former Chief Whip Mark Spencer, who refused to intervene.

Now we find that Warburton is even less contactable than he was before, if that is even possible.

The County Gazette reported on Wednesday - while we were getting answers that they should have been getting but are too lazy or incompetent to do any actual journalism - that Warburton has been banned from entering the Russian Federation. But the County Gazette didn't mention in the article that Warburton was still under investigation!

And the Somerset Conservatives say that others should fill in for him? This beggars belief. 

Perhaps they will be trying to enter Russia instead of Warburton as well?

What an appalling state of affairs."

We will be providing further updates and have asked Councillor Oliver further questions including why she claims to know better than anyone about the situation regarding the whereabouts of the MP.

* At the time of writing a web search for "somersetlive david warburton latest" brought the latest from so-called "journalism" outlets in Somerset:

• SomersetLive - https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/somerset-frome-mp-david-warburton-6898897 - last updated 3rd April

"somerset county gazette david warburton latest investigation" web search:

• Somerset County Gazette - https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/20040950.tory-mp-david-warburton-faces-probe-conduct-allegations/ - 2nd April
  

 "bbc david warburton latest investigation"

• BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60975624 - 3rd April

"itv news david warburton latest investigation"

• ITV News - https://www.itv.com/news/2022-04-04/wife-of-tory-mp-david-warburton-standing-by-him-amid-misconduct-allegations - 4th April 

"The Leveller" - see above

If you see any reporting about David Warburton's investigation, please let us know!

EXPLAINER: How To Register Your Protest Vote In Next Week's 2022 Anti-Democratic New Somerset Council" Elections

As we have already announced and has been reported (and wrongly criticised) by the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby, Somerset Independents is boycotting the 5th May elections for the New Somerset Council. You can read why on our article here.

In a nutshell, it is because the council is illegitimate - being forced on Somerset and residents were not asked. In fact, residents opposed it.

We suggest that you register a protest.

You can do this by writing whatever you want on the ballot paper.

Just make sure that whatever you do, that it cannot be seen as voting for anybody.

How Did We Get Having How We Are Governed Changed?

We've written about it many times on this website, on our Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. We've tried to keep residents informed and have fought the lies and spin from Tory County Council Leader David Fothergill and paid lackeys like "consultant" Carlton Brand.

We have exposed the costs. We have exposed the lies.

For some reason, these elections are being badged by the councils as a County Council election except the County council and all four district councils are being scrapped next year in 2023. A "shadow" New Somerset Council will be formed before it comes into effect to replace these five councils.

These changes are being forced on Somerset against the will of residents.

How do we know this? Because in 2007 there was a Referendum and 82% of Somerset residents said NO to a unitary authority, which is what this New Somerset Council will be.

Somerset Independents campaigned hard and loudly for a YES/NO Referendum but the pathetic Lib Dems and Tories on the district councils did not give you that Referendum this time. They caved in to the Tories. Lib Dem or Tory, same old story. The Greens and Labour were irrelevant, as usual, and went along for the ride.

As Somerset Independents founders Andrew Pope and Denise Wyatt told them at the council meetings, these councillors gave you a Hobson's Choice between two buckets of manure - two terrible options in a Referendum that the Conservative Government totally ignored.

Andrew Pope

Denise Wyatt

These changes are being forced on you. And many of those councillors who are doing this to you will disappear, leaving Somerset with bad councillors, bad officers and bad debts due to bad decisions in the county council and district councils. 

You won't even be able to vote them out to punish their bad decisions because the councils are being scrapped.

This is a very dangerous time for our County and its people.

These changes are being forced on you, your family, your area and everybody else in Somerset by the Conservative Government and the unrepresentative swill of councillors here in Somerset who surrendered to the Conservatives with minimal pressure.

You can protest by not voting. This will just lump you in with the majority of people who will not vote. There will be a lot of people who will not vote. The turnout will be much less than for a Parliamentary election. But your views will not be registered.

Please don't vote for the Greens, Labour or Lib Dems - they are just as bad as the Tories. Voting for them condones the pathetic response of their councillors to the Tory Government.

A Better Option - Register Your Protest

You can register your protest.

You can do this by writing whatever you want on the ballot paper.

Just make sure that whatever you do, that it cannot be seen as voting for anybody.

Every ballot paper that is in doubt will be collected up and shown to the candidates and their agents.

They will see what you wrote.

We leave it to you to decide what to write - it's your ballot paper, hard won by our ancestors including the Chartists and Suffragettes over hundreds of years.

Don't forget - Lib Dem, Labour, Green or Tory, same old story.

We would love to hear your views. Just make sure that the secrecy of your ballot is kept.

And we hope that Somerset residents will continue to work with us to continue to hold the Westminster parties to account.

Because we put Somerset first. But they put themselves and Westminster first.

EXPOSED: NOT ONCE BUT TWICE - We Reveal Green Party Mendip Councillor Francis Hayden Broke the Law and Was In Council Tax Arrears TWO YEARS IN A ROW and MONTHS Before Covid

 

Cranmore, Doulting, Nunney
Green Party Councillor Francis Hayden

UPDATE (6/5/22): Francis Hayden did not stand for the New Somerset Council. Mendip District Council will be scrapped in one year's time. Francis Hayden will not be a district councillor or unitary authority councillor.

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One Year in Arrears - but there's more...

During our investigation into Somerset district and county councillors and their arrears on council tax, Somerset Independents revealed that Green Party Mendip District Council (MDC) Councillor Francis Hayden was in arrears for many months during one financial year, 2020-21. 

We also showed that Cllr Hayden voted on items relating to Mendip council's budget, despite being disbarred (banned by the law) from doing so due to his arrears.

We also showed that Hayden failed to declare that he was in arrears at the appropriate time during the Council meeting that decided Mendip's budget.

By the time that he had mentioned it, it was too late. Hayden was required to declare his arrears under "Declarations of Interest" at the beginning of the meeting, and NOT after already voting on budget agenda items.

Without our investigations, Mendip District Council would have carried on, regardless.

We have confirmed again, in further Freedom of Information responses from MDC, that MDC were not following due governance and this includes council tax procedures. 

As with several other of our campaigns, Somerset Independents has had to challenge, and educate, one of Somerset's councils in how to govern properly. We are just volunteers, but they get paid to look after public money.

Not Just One Year and Months of Arrears... But Two Years in Arrears!

We have also now discovered, from further enquiries we've made of Mendip District Council, and information that the Council inadvertently coughed up, that Hayden was ALSO in arrears in a previous financial year too! 

This was the 2019-2020 Financial Year, which was BEFORE the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

Why is this relevant? It is particularly relevant because Councillor Hayden has claimed in public more than once, in trying to defend the indefensible, that his arrears were due to the Pandemic.

Councillor Hayden was in arrears BEFORE the Pandemic.

And DURING the Pandemic too! So his claims are untrue.

We have quotes of what Cllr Hayden told the public in trying to deflect attention away from his misdeeds and defend the indefensible. We have the evidence.

For example, Somerset Independents raised Cllr Hayden's persistent arrears on one of the Frome Facebook groups - "Frome Local". 

When challenged by a former Conservative Mendip District Councillor for Frome College Ward, Mike Rideout, with the following. Here is the exchange:

Cllr Hayden wrote:

Green Party Cllr Francis Hayden

"Obviously it's not ideal to hold back on council tax but the good thing is we saved the business (Keren's Comfort Kitchen) and now we can get on with paying our bills in full."

So instead of paying his council tax, Cllr Hayden put the business first. This is despite receiving a councillor's allowance from the public purse, as Mr Rideout correctly points out.

When we discovered the extent of his arrears on council tax, we challenged Councillor Hayden and asked him a set of questions. We suggested that he should resign.

But Councillor Hayden refused to resign. He refused to properly answer our questions, even though we extended the courtesy of a right of reply.

Worse, he gloated about his non-payment to the public, bringing Mendip District Council into further disrepute. 

Councillor Hayden thought it would be a good idea to brag to members of the public about his non-payment and that he and his wife had prioritised other spending, including on her business, before paying his council tax.

We have the evidence. 

We have the evidence from Mendip District Council and other sources. 

This is despite the fact that MDC tried to re-invent what happened. We even had to record the meetings ourselves, because Mendip DELETED the recording and also claimed that the Minutes of the meeting were accurate - which they were not.

We showed MDC that Councillor Hayden voted on council budget items at the Mendip Budget Full Council meeting, despite the law preventing him from doing so.

Councillor Hayden also failed to declare his arrears, which is another offence.

And today, we now have a copy of the email sent to all Mendip councillors by the Monitoring Officer, David Clark, laying out the gravity of failing to do the above.

As the email states, these are criminal offences.

So we've asked Mendip District Council to take the matter to Avon and Somerset Police.

We had already asked them to do that when our Leader Andrew Pope lodged a formal complaint into Councillor Hayden.

But MDC didn't take it to the Police, despite admitting that things had gone awry.

Let's see what MDC do now.

 

Meanwhile, Somerset Independents will continue to investigate Somerset's councillors over their council tax arrears - and the lies that they tell in trying to defend the indefensible.

Another Tory and Lib Dem Attack On Democracy - Two Years On From When We Formed Somerset Independents as a Campaigning Group For Residents

Our Emblem

Somerset Independents was formed in March 2020, at the beginning of the UK Government's and Somerset's councils disastrous response to the Global Covid-19 Pandemic.

It was formed as a campaign group to stand up for Somerset residents, because the Westminster parties - Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Labour - were continuing to let Somerset down.

Since then and over the last two years, some things have changed.

Since then and over the last two years, some things have stayed the same.

Our Aims have stayed the same and when we registered Somerset Independents as Somerset's only dedicated political party, the Aims were written into the Constitution that we submitted to the Electoral Commission.

These Aims were informed by what residents told us, because we are residents too.

The failings of the Westminster parties have continued.

And their latest failure is the forcing of a change to how Somerset is governed by councils. A new, illegitimate Council forced upon Somerset residents against their will.

Who is responsible, residents ask us? Chiefly it has been the Conservative Government and the Conservative councillors on Somerset County Council. 

The Government continues to be so badly led by Boris Johnson and the Somerset County Council also continues to be so badly led by the Conservative Leader of the Council David Fothergill.

These Conservatives do not stand up for Somerset residents. They let Somerset down.

And the so-called "opposition" of Liberal Democrats on the County Council and on the district councils, have been limp in their opposition.

This is because the Liberal Democrats think they can take control of the New Somerset Council at these 2022 elections.

WE HAVE BOYCOTTED THESE ELECTIONS. And we have explained why on this website and in the local media.

We are boycotting these elections because it should be Lib Dems, Tories, Greens and Labour that are held to account by Somerset residents.

To stand candidates at these elections would be to condone the actions of the Conservatives and the inaction of the Lib Dems.

Please remember that we were ready to stand candidates at the County Council elections to make it a Referendum on whether to have the New Somerset Council ... BUT THE TORY COUNTY COUNCILLORS CANCELLED THE ELECTIONS for the County Council and had their friends at Westminster force the new Council upon Somerset instead.

So when this new Council is formed, we ask you to ask the Lib Dems, Labour, Greens and especially the Tories:

1. Why did they ignore the advice of the democracy experts at De Montfort University.?They ignored Somerset residents who voted in 2007 by 82% to 18% to NOT have a unitary authority. So why now?

2. Why did they do it to Somerset when it has been such a failure in Cornwall and Wiltshire and when the West Somerset and Taunton merger was also such a failure that cost a fortune to taxpayers and was another unwanted reorganisation? 

3. Who is going to pay and how many tens (or hundreds?) of millions of pounds of taxpayers money are they going to waste, doing it?

4. What will be the bad debts inherited from the district councils? 

5. Why did they ignore the evidence from De Montfort University's experts on democracy in the FoLGIS Report? 

6. Was this just a way to fix the elections to favour the Westminster parties?

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, says:

Andrew Pope

"Somerset residents are asking a lot of questions, and that needs to continue, despite the attempts by the Westminster parties to ignore them. 

All Somerset residents are going to pay for this attack on democracy to gerrymander Somerset for the benefit of the Westminster parties.

Somerset residents' lives will continue to be ruined by those who put themselves and their party first, instead of residents first.

They don't intend for it to be for the benefit of Somerset residents.

That's why Somerset Independents were the ONLY campaigners who fought for a YES/NO Referendum, but the Lib Dems and Tories didn't want the proper Referendum. And Labour and the Greens were typically lazy and irrelevant.

We were ready to work cross-party and with people in no party like us, but there were insufficient allies to work with - this includes so-called independents who in Somerset seem to mostly be anything but independent - just look at the lists of Parish/Town council candidates - with some so-called independents standing as "Independent" and also standing for the Tories for the New Somerset Council!

In other campaigns, like the successful campaign that I worked on against the Solent Devolution Deal and Elected Mayor in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, there were allies who I was able to work with across the Region. But sadly, not here in Somerset. This process will probably end up with an elected Mayor, just like arch-Tory and anti-democrat Michael Heseltine wants.

There was a Referendum, but it wasn't a YES/NO Referendum - just a choice between two buckets of manure. As we told them when we spoke at their council meetings, we've got enough manure in Somerset, thanks.

It will now be even more difficult for independents to be elected to the Council, and the Westminster parties know this. They have the money - independents do not. 

This is proved by the dearth of candidates, as reported by Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby.

As Mumby reports, out of 337 candidates standing in 55 divisions (2 seats in each division), just "23 standing either as independents or with no affiliation or description."

Even if ALL of these 23 candidates were elected, they would not have a majority. We will leave it to Somerset's voters to decide who to vote for, or whether to vote at all. It will be the usual low turnout.

And the vast majority of those elected will be of the usual low standard and they will continue to leave Somerset residents in the manure.

So residents should not and cannot let them ignore the Westminster parties' atrocious actions, and Somerset Independents will do what it can with its meagre resources and volunteers, to work with Somerset residents and continue to stand up for Somerset residents."

Somerton and Frome Conservative MP David Warburton Suspended and Under Investigation

 

Somerton and Frome Conservative MP David Warburton is again under investigation and has been suspended.

BBC News has reported that:

"Conservative MP David Warburton has been suspended from the parliamentary party pending an investigation into allegations about his conduct.

The claims about Mr Warburton, who sits on the backbenches, are being examined by Parliament's Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).

Conservative sources have told the BBC that three allegations of sexual harassment are being investigated.

Mr Warburton has been MP for Somerton and Frome since 2015."

We say again, because Warburton has been under investigation before. 

As Somerset Independents reported, Warburton was under investigation by Parliamentary standards late last year, when he along with other Somerset Tory MPs voted to ignore the corruption by Tory MP Owen Paterson, who eventually resigned his seat in disgrace.

Paterson's resignation caused a by-election in North Shropshire and the Liberal Democrats won the seat.

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, says:

Andrew Pope
Leader of Somerset Independents

"What will happen with David Warburton? Let's see...

Will he be forced to resign in disgrace like Tory MP Owen Paterson did?

Or will be like "naughty Tory" MP Charlie Elphicke and be found guilty of sexual harassment or potentially worse?

Or will David Warburton be banned from office like Tory Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate Jonathon Seed, who is now on trial? 

Or will Warburton be exonerated, like he claimed he was when last under investigation by Parliamentary standards?

We will see what happens, and the outcome of the investigation.

I challenged David Warburton directly at the time of the Paterson affair, over his record and over conflicts of interest. Typically for him, he did not respond.

Andrew Pope Challenging David Warburton

And what Somerset residents know is that like almost all Somerset Tory MPs, David Warburton is a poor MP.

David Warburton has not represented Somerset residents.

Residents contacted us to complain about David Warburton not responding to them over long periods of time and despite what method they used to try to contact him.

So I contacted the Conservative Chief Whip Mark Spencer who refused to intervene. Here is Spencer's response to me.

Letter From Chief Whip to Andrew Pope

And instead of representing the constituents of Somerset and Frome, David Warburton has emulated Owen Paterson in using his Parliamentary privileges to represent special interests, like repeat polluters and industrial cheese-makers Wyke Farms.

Instead of standing up for Somerset residents, Warburton stood up at Prime Minister's Questions to speak up for Wyke Farms. They are a serial polluter of Somerset's environment as showed by Environment Agency records uncovered by the investigations of Somerset Independents using Freedom of Information requests. Why did he do this?

The investigation into David Warburton is further justification for Somerset Independents to be continuing its campaign for ALL council and Parliamentary candidates to have mandatory DBS (criminal records) checks before they can even be declared a valid candidate - let alone get elected to represent UK citizens.

Right now - all around Somerset, council candidates for the Tories' hated and imposed New Somerset Council are being declared to be candidates WITHOUT having had criminal records checks.

Somerset Independents is boycotting this election because it will be an illegitimate Council and will inherit bad debts, bad councillors and bad officers. And the council candidates may have criminal records but voters will not know who they are voting for.

Somerset's councillors and MPs from the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens and Labour don't support these checks. We've asked Somerset councillors and MPs from the Westminster parties but these parties that set the law have not changed the law to back our campaign.

They don't support the checks despite the shameful convictions of Tory MPs like Charlie Elphicke and Labour MP Claudia Webbe, and the jailing of former South Somerset Lib Dem Council Leader Ric Pallister and Lib Dem Devon County Council Leader Brian Greenslade.

Instead, some of them have told us that our campaign is not a good idea and that it should be up to the parties to check their candidates. They cannot be trusted and they've proved it time and again - including with councillors who persistently refused to pay their own council tax and who have broken the law - as proved by our investigations, and councillors who have broken the law by voting on the council budget despite being disbarred due to their arrears. Yet their councils have refused to report them to the Police or carry out DBS checks - despite asking them to do so.

These MPs and councillors continue to bring elected office into disrepute and trust in elected representatives to new and worse lows.

And all the above guilty parties show again that you cannot trust the Tories or any of the Westminster parties - Labour, Green or Lib Dems - because they put themselves and their rotten Party ahead of the people of Somerset. They don't care about Somerset residents.

Somerset Independents put Somerset residents first. They deserve better MPs and councillors."