Conservative MP Chris Davies has lost his seat in Britain’s House of Commons after voters in his constituency backed a petition to remove him.

The move sparked a by-election to choose the new member of parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire, which could potentially stretch the Conservative Party’s paper-thin ability to govern even further.

The vote will likely be held in the last week of July or the first week of August, with much of the campaign taking place while the election to pick the next leader of the party – and, by default, the new prime minister of the country – rages on.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Theresa May formally stepped down as party leader after her authority to govern collapsed following several failed attempts to win Parliament’s approval for a negotiated deal to leave the European Union, or Brexit.

Bogus claims

Davis, a 51-year-old Eurosceptic MP, was convicted in April of faking expense claims after submitting two false invoices for landscape photographs to decorate his new office.

The petition was signed by 10,005 people, or 19 percent of registered voters, well above the 10 percent requirement.

Davies could stand for re-election if selected as a candidate by his local branch of the Conservative Party.

He has been the area’s MP since 2015 when he beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Roger Williams with the constituency’s largest majority since 1983. In the 2017 snap election, he grew that majority to more than 8,000, in a constituency where just over 41,000 people voted.

But in April, he was fined 1,500 pounds ($1,900) and ordered to pay 2,500 pounds ($3,200) towards legal costs and told to carry out 50 hours of community service after admitting to submitting two false expense invoices. Read more

Also Read: Tory leadership: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt in the race

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