Stephen Kearney pays tribute as Boris Johnson resigns as MP for Henley (South East Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)

South East Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats <info@henleylibdems.org.uk>

Stephen Kearney pays tribute as Boris Johnson resigns as MP for Henley

June 4, 2008 10:33 AM

Boris Johnson [Photo by John Hemming source Wikipedia: Image under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License]

Stephen Kearney has today paid tribute to Boris Johnson after his announcement this morning that he was stepping down as MP for Henley. The most likely date for the by-election is 26 June.

An announcement by the Treasury this afternoon confirmed that "The Chancellor of the Exchequer has today appointed Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson to be Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead." The"Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead" is a paid office of the Crown, which automatically disqualifies the Member from holding a seat in the House of Commons. Boris Johnson is therefore no longer the MP for Henley.

Liberal Democrat campaigner Stephen Kearney said:

"Local people really took Boris to their hearts after he came here in 2001. There is clearly a lot of affection for Boris across the Henley Constituency. He is a real character and became an important figure in the local community in his time here.

"Boris will be a tough act to follow, but I am looking forward to showing local people that I am up to the job in the coming weeks."