Liberal Democrats in Somerset have called for one of the county’s MPs to resign immediately after being physically absent from the House of Commons for an entire year.

David Warburton was elected as Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome in 2015, unseating the Lib Dems (who had held the seat since 1997) and turning it into one of the safest Tory seats in the country.

Mr Warburton had the Tory whip withdrawn in April 2022 following a series of allegations of misconduct – allegations which remain under investigation by parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme.

Councillor Sarah Dyke – the Lib Dems’ prospective parliamentary candidate – has now called on the “missing in action” MP to resign, allowing a by-election to take place.

Since the investigations into his conduct began, Mr Warburton has been physically absent from the House of Commons – including a couple of spells where he was receiving treatment at a psychiatric hospital.

Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle MP granted Mr Warburton a proxy vote in February, allowing another MP to vote on his behalf.

One year on from his suspension from the Conservatives, Ms Dyke – who sits on the executive of the Lib Dem-run Somerset Council – has called on Mr Warburton to “do the right thing” and fall on his sword for the good of his constituents.

Ms Dyke – who lives in Cucklington, near Wincanton – said: “How an MP who has been banned from entering his own place of work and who has been missing in action for a year now could genuinely feel he is representing his constituents is baffling.

“This scandal, following dozens facing the Conservative Party in recent years,

has had a serious impact on the representation of local people.

“Our MP’s absence during the period he’s been investigated has meant Somerton and Frome has suffered as a result.

“David Warburton has failed the people of Somerton and Frome for too long. He has never once put his constituents first and we are fed up of being taken

for granted by him and this government.

“He should resign immediately and allow the electorate to elect a new voice in parliament to speak up for us.”

Frome Town Council formally voted in February that it had no confidence in Mr Warburton as an MP – with a similar resolution being debated by Langport Town Council in March.

Ms Dyke added: “Local people are telling me they want a hard-working constituency MP who is fully focussed on the cost of living crisis, dangerously high ambulance wait times and working to stop raw sewage being pumped into our precious rivers and seas.

“As the Liberal Democrat candidate, I will deliver the high-quality representation that Somerton and Frome residents deserve.

“The next election here will be a two-horse race between the out-of-touch

Conservatives and the hard-working Liberal Democrats.”

Mr Warburton said that he had never been formally “banned” from the Houses of Parliament, instead voluntarily remaining away from the Commons while he was under investigation.

He said: “In terms of voting and speaking in parliament, although this has – by mutual agreement with the House – paused for the duration of the  investigation, I must emphasise the fact that neither government nor opposition whips can ever speak in the House.

“Ministers, parliamentary private secretaries and whips (which make up at least 150 MPs from the governing party), plus opposition ministers and whips and those of the SNP, Lib Dems etc. can never vote against their parties – so more than 250 out of 650 constituencies routinely have no dissenting voice.

“Conversely, I have voted 18 times against the government since the 2019 election.

“I know some MPs who have been in the House for more than 20 years and have never voted against their party. I will always exercise and follow my own mind.

“Frustratingly for all concerned, nothing has changed other than the  Speaker has been able to grant me a proxy vote, so I continue to vote in the Commons each day.

“All ministerial meetings, written questions to the government, surgeries and casework continue as normal. I have worked on almost 4,000 pieces of casework since this all began.

“The investigation has now taken a long painful year and I can only hope it concludes as soon as possible.”