Tory MP denies faking visits in his constituency after posting same photo three times

‘This is not the first time I have reused a photo when forgetting to take one and I am sure it will not be the last,’ Don Valley MP says

‘Apologies, forgot to take a photo on my walk about’ (Nick Fletcher MP/Facebook)

A Tory MP has denied faking visits to a town in his constituency after posting an identical photograph to his Facebook page on three separate occasions.

Nick Fletcher, the MP for Don Valley in Yorkshire, uploaded an image of himself posing on a high street in Thorne, a small market town about 10 miles northeast of Doncaster.

“Great to spend the afternoon in Thorne. It is good to see it thriving again after a tough year,” Mr Fletcher captioned the post, which appears to have been taken on 10 November.

“Apologies, forgot to take a photo on my walk about. Will make sure I take one when I’m back again next week. Look forward to seeing you all soon,” he added.

The same image has been uploaded to Mr Fletcher’s account on two other occasions: on 21 December last year and 20 September this year, when he participated in several parliamentary votes.

When approached by The Independent for comment on the latest image, Mr Fletcher said that he had been out in Thorne “with a local businesses man” and visited a “local café for a coffee”.

A spokesperson for the MP said he spent the morning in nearby Braithwell before travelling to Thorne and then onto Tickhill to meet with constituents.

In the image Mr Fletcher, who was first elected to parliament in 2019, can be seen standing outside shops on a quiet pedestrianised street in Thorne.

Christmas decorations – including trees – can be seen hanging from the walls of buildings close by.

Locals mocked the MP for uploading the same picture three times. “When you like a selfie so much you’ve used the same picture three times…” one said in the comments underneath the post.

Another said: “How come Xmas trees are up when not putting them up till after 12th?”

Mr Fletcher was elected to his seat at the December 2019 election, when he ousted Labour incumbent and former minister Caroline Flint.

He won 43.2 per cent (19,609) of the vote compared with Ms Flint’s 35.2 per cent (15,979).

According to his website, Mr Fletcher has spent his entire life living and working in the Doncaster area and has been running his business there for 25 years.