Nadine Dorries 'will delay resignation until summer vacation' in new headache for Sunak

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Nadine Dorries is set to delay her formal resignation as an MP until Parliament's summer recess in yet another headache for Rishi Sunak, a-t -we learned.

The decision by the former culture secretary - who said on Friday that she would step down 'with immediate effect' - could delay a competition to replace her until the fall, approaching of the Conservative Party conference.

It represents a significant setback for the Prime Minister, prolonging the agony of a tough series of by-elections for the Tories.

Boris Johnson has announced his own shock exit just hours after Ms Dorries said she would quit, while fellow Boris ally Nigel Adams also said he would quit.

But while the former Prime Minister and Mr Adams completed the formal process of stepping down as MPs on Monday, Ms Dorries has yet to do so.

The Friends of Ms Dorries highlighted the case of Labor MP Rosie Cooper, who waited two months to formally resign after announcing she would be leaving. One told the Daily Mail 'it's her prerogative when she decides to go'.

"She's not going to give Sunak the convenience of three by-elections on the same day," the friend added.

Party leaders were frustrated, having wanted to play down the potential fallout from the three by-elections.

They wanted to deal with the fallout - sparked by a row over Mr Johnson resignation honors list and Partygate's ongoing investigation into the former Prime Minister - as quickly as possible.

A Tory source told The Independent: 'We don't know why Nadine didn't quit. She said she was leaving with "immediate effect" on Friday afternoon before Boris and Nigel, but didn't.

"But we don't want to wait, we want to continue with these things. “

The Liberal Democrats were quick to point out how a “long summer campaign” led to a major defeat for the Conservatives in a 2021 by-election.

A spokesperson said: "As Chesham and Amersham have shown, a long summer campaign in the blue wall only ends one way for the Tories. We're dusting off that playbook."

Ms. Dorries' decision to...