Jailed MP Fiona Onasanya could have her sentence increased after members of the public complained that it was too soft.

The ex-solicitor, who has been kicked out of Labour, was locked up for three months for perverting the course of justice after lying over a speeding ticket.

But the jail term is now being reviewed by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, the Government’s chief law officer, under an unduly lenient sentencing scheme.

The ex-solicitor, who has been kicked out of Labour, was locked up for three months for perverting the course of justice after lying over a speeding ticket

Within 24 hours of Onasanya’s jailing on Tuesday, his office received at least 20 complaints from members of the public who felt it wasn’t long enough.

If Mr Cox believes she should have been locked up for longer, he can refer the case to the Court of Appeal to be looked at again. His spokesman said last night: ‘We have received a request for the case of Fiona Onasanya to be considered. Law officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case.’

At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said the sentence of the Peterborough MP was the ‘shortest I feel able to impose’. He added: ‘I make plain I will not treat you more severely because of your position as an MP and former solicitor.

‘There cannot be one law for those in positions of power, privilege and responsibility and another for those who are not.’

In 2013, former Lib-Dem MP Chris Huhne was jailed for eight months for lying over a speeding ticket, having persuaded his wife to claim she was driving and take his penalty points for him so he didn’t lose his licence.

Former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya arriving at the Old Bailey

Onasanya was jailed for perverting the course of justice after claiming she was not the person driving her speeding car in 2017.

Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said he did not accept the prosecution’s case that Onasanya had hatched a conspiracy with her brother Festus to avoid the speeding ticket.

Instead, he said she ‘stupidly chose’ to become involved at a later stage after her brother had filled in a notice of intended prosecution on her behalf, creating a ‘serious mess’.

Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said the offence was ‘totally out of character’. He praised Onasanya as a ‘role model for many young black women who have been inspired by your attitude and achievements’.

The 35-year-old MP, who is appealing against her conviction, has refused to quit Parliament and will continue to receive her £77,000 salary while behind bars.

Onasanya, who was once a trusted ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, became an independent MP after being kicked out of the party when she was found guilty. She would have lost her seat automatically if her jail term had been longer than 12 months.

Undated handout photo issued by the CPS of CCTV footage showing Fiona Onasanya speeding 41mph in a 30mph zone

However, she could still lose the marginal constituency if 10 per cent of the electorate there – around 7,000 voters – sign a petition calling for a by-election.

A petition can be started after the appeal process is complete. Her legal team has hinted that she is unlikely to contest an election.

Labour officials in the constituency said they would shortly be selecting a candidate.

The Conservatives are keen to win Peterborough back. Onasanya only won the seat by 607 votes after beating sitting Tory MP Stewart Jackson in 2017.

There has only been one by-election petition before. It was triggered last year when North Antrim MP Ian Paisley Jnr was suspended for failing to declare holidays paid for by Sri Lanka.

He narrowly avoided being recalled after only 9.4 per cent of constituents signed the petition.