Senior Conservatives demand Fiona Onasanya quit as MP as protest planned outside her Peterborough office

Onasanya is currently serving a three month prison sentence for perverting the course of justice after lying about who was driving her car when it was caught speeding in Thorney.

But despite being behind bars she remains MP and takes home a £77,000 salary.

On a visit to Peterborough last Friday Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “You cannot represent the people of Peterborough when you are in jail.

“When she’s been sentenced in the way that she has, I wish her all the best for the future, but the honourable thing is to recognise time’s up, you’ve got to stand down.”

Mr Gove’s calls were echoed in Parliament yesterday by James Cleverly, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, during a debate on voter ID pilot schemes.

He said: “Members discharge their duties in a variety of ways, but does my Honourable Friend agree that it is not possible to discharge them properly from inside a prison cell?

“When will the Honourable Member for Peterborough do the right thing, stand down and give the people of that part of the country the representation they deserve?”

In response Chloe Smith, Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, said: “My Honourable Friend makes a fair point, and it comes down to what the people of Peterborough need - a hard-working and present local MP.

“Of course we have passed legislation in this place to enable recall. I suspect that may be used in this case, but I hope it will happen promptly, for the sake of the people of Peterborough.”

Onasanya’s jail term could be increased after the Attorney General’s office confirmed it was being reviewed after receiving complaints it was too lenient.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: “We have received a request for the case of Fiona Onasanya to be considered under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case.”

Onasanya, who was expelled by Labour after her conviction, is currently appealing her sentence. Once the appeals process ends her constituents will have the chance to remove her as MP under a recall petition.

Meanwhile, a protest is being organised outside her office at the Eco Innovation Centre, near the Passport Office, this Saturday from noon.Protesters will be calling on Onasanya to resign.

Calls for change in law to stop MPs keeping their job in prison after sentencing of Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya