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Somerset Independents puts residents first. Other media outlets who claim to be impartial and unbiased receive advertising monies, with some including that from political parties and MPs. We are fully funded by donations and rely on the good will of volunteers who live or work in Somerset.
Since being founded, Somerset Independents has put a great deal of work into holding Somerset's elected representatives to account - councillors, MPs and the Police and Crime Commissioners. At the same time, other media outlets in Somerset have been absent from their duty of standing up for the public interest in the ethics and standards of the County's representatives.
The Nolan Principles apply to all elected representatives. Yet some councils, council officers, councillors or Parliamentarians in Somerset seem to think they do not apply to them. Perhaps this is unsurprising, given the unwillingness of some media outlets to hold them to those Principles. The case of David Warburton is one such.
On this website, we have published details of our investigations into David Warburton, the former Tory MP for Somerton and Frome. It started when his constituents complained to us that he did not reply to them.
Warburton has been referred to - misleadingly in our opinion - as an "Independent" MP, but this is only because he had the Conservative Whip withdrawn. The withdrawal of the Tory Whip was a result of investigations into him. It would be more accurate to call him the "Suspended Tory MP for Somerton and Frome".
We took it up with the local Conservative Party associations, who gave us some interesting information, but then suddenly the flow of information stopped.
It is important to note the plural investigations into Warburton. There has been more than one.
For months since April 2022, the cloud of doubt hung over Mr Warburton. This was no thanks to some local media outlets, who were much more reluctant than Somerset Independents to report on the investigations. Some even defended him, including those who receive paid advertising monies from Mr Warburton.
We are grateful to some national media outlets, in the absence of publication by local media.
One Investigation...
After months, the parliamentary investigation finally reported back. As reported by The Guardian, the commissioner for standards Kathryn Stone found that Warburton "broke the MPs' code of conduct twice". But Stone did not find Warburton guilty of "paid advocacy". No formal sanctions would apply to Warburton, the commissioner ruled.
More Investigations...
But this was not the only investigation. Again, as reported by The Guardian and Somerset Independents, Warburton had also had the Conservative Whip withdrawn "over separate claims of sexual harassment and drug use", which Warburton denies.
As far as Somerset Independents is aware, these investigations are still ongoing.
In January 2023, The Times has reported that despite being investigated in a sex and drugs scandal, Warburton will be seeking re-election.
In our view, he should already have resigned and there should have been a by-election in the Somerton and Frome constituency.
Why Do Some Local Media Seem Keen to Forget?
Yet some local media outlets seemed keen to forget. Others are totally ignorant of the allegations of Warburton, preferring not to report them at all. And some have sought to defend Warburton.
Why might this be? We will let you draw your own conclusions about the independence of those media outlets and whether they are standing up for Somerset and its residents.
Somerset Independents has always stood up for residents, ever since being founded almost three years ago.
Who Are Somerset Independents?
Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page is here.
We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.
