Yahoo Finance Wife of Tory MP in sexting scandal to stand in his former seat
Former Tory MP Andrew Griffiths will not stand again for his Burton seat after his wife was picked instead for the general election.
Kate Griffiths will now stand for the Conservatives after reportedly being selected on Thursday with her husband’s support.
Mr Griffiths was cleared of wrongdoing by the parliamentary standards watchdog in September after he sent two women lewd text messages.
He resigned as small business minister last year after it was revealed he had sent 2,000 sexual texts to a barmaid and a friend in the space of 21 days, weeks after the birth of his first child.
The former Burton and Uttoxeter MP said last month he had suffered a “mental health-related breakdown at the time which led to my actions” and was subsequently “fitter and healthier and focused on representing my constituents”.
A disclaimer on his website simply states: “I am no longer an MP as Parliament has been dissolved, and I am not seeking re-election.”
Mrs Griffiths will be up against Labour’s Louise Walker, Liberal Democrat Adam Wain and Green Party candidate Kate Copeland.
Mr Griffiths was elected with a majority of 10,000 votes in 2017.
The news came as some recent opinion polls showed the gap between the Conservatives and Labour was closing.
Campaigning continued today, with Boris Johnson being criticised during his visit to flood-hit South Yorkshire while Jeremy Corbyn continued campaigning in Scotland.
Former Tory cabinet member David Gauke has also said he hopes his former party will not win a majority.
