Dan Norris, the MP for North East Somerset and Hanham who was arrested in April 2025 on suspicion of rape and other offences, has not participated in parliamentary votes since the police informed the Crown Prosecution Service of potential charges. While suspended from the Labour Party at the time of his arrest, Mr. Norris initially cast votes through a proxy, managed by the government whip Sir Nicholas Dakin.
The last recorded use of this proxy vote was on July 1, coinciding with the police disclosure that a file had been submitted for charging consideration. Since then, Mr. Norris has not voted, reflecting his suspension from parliamentary attendance following a risk-based exclusion policy applied to MPs suspected of violent or sexual offences.
The allegations against Mr. Norris include rape involving three women, sexual assault against a fourth, as well as voyeurism and upskirting, all purportedly spanning from the 2000s through the 2020s. Mr. Norris has consistently denied these accusations “vigorously and entirely.”
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Despite the barring from physical access to Parliament, Mr. Norris continues to serve his constituents by handling casework and submitting written questions. His latest inquiries on July 13 focused on topics such as suspended driving licenses and proposals to utilize former coal mines for geothermal energy in the Somerset coalfield.
Proxy voting in Parliament is typically allowed for a maximum of seven months per period but can be extended repeatedly for similar intervals, accommodating situations such as illness, maternity leave, or risk-based exclusions. Mr. Norris’s proxy was actively used up until the July cutoff, after which it has remained unused.
This development leaves North East Somerset and Hanham without active voting representation in Parliament. However, as Mr. Norris’s votes traditionally aligned with the Labour Party, which holds a substantial majority, the practical impact on parliamentary decisions may be limited.
Constituent concern is significant: a petition initiated in September 2025 calling for Mr. Norris’s resignation has gathered over 4,000 signatures. Although the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is acknowledged, many feel the situation impedes his ability to represent them effectively.
Notably, constituents cannot initiate a recall petition unless an MP is imprisoned for over a year, found guilty of parliamentary expenses fraud, or suspended from the House of Commons for more than ten days. Risk-based exclusion, the policy under which Mr. Norris is barred from Parliament, does not trigger these mechanisms.
Mr. Norris previously served as MP for Wansdyke from 1997 until 2010, before losing the seat to Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg. He reclaimed the North East Somerset and Hanham seat in 2024 but has remained out of active parliamentary voting since his arrest less than a year later.