Nadine Dorries may be heading home from I'm a Celebrity, but there'll be no welcome parade

The Mid-Beds MP hoped she would leave a political impression. She hasn't

Nadine Dorries in the jungle (Rex Features)

So it’s happened. Mid-Beds MP Nadine Dorries was the first person kicked out of I’m a Celebrity... Get me Out of Here. As our MP shakes the last scorpion from her desert boots she has a bit of time in an Australian hotel to reflect on whether it was a good idea to abandon her constituency to play at being a celebrity on TV.

As it turned out she didn’t get enough votes to stay in the jungle. I guess in a way this is the worst possible outcome for Nadine - falling at the first hurdle means she hasn’t really achieved much. As she sipped champagne in her post eviction interview she told Ant and Dec that she hoped some of the “fascinating conversations” she had about politics with other contestants made the final cut. She’ll be disappointed when she sees the tapes. In fact, the only thing that she’ll be remembered for is a cringeworthy impression of Tommy Cooper.

Nadine says she’ll be working for the next fortnight. She’s thousands of miles away and currently all she seems to be doing is arguing with TV presenters about whether or not the former chief whip gave her permission to take a month off. In the meantime, MPs will decide on prisoners’ right to vote, and Mid-Beds is still MP free. We have issues we need her to deal with in Mid-Beds, and while it may not be as glamourous as the celebrity career she appears to be preparing for, to us ordinary folk it’s crucial.

It’s a sad fact that as citizens we are pretty much powerless to hold our MPs to account when they do irresponsible things like Nadine Dorries has done. That’s why I had to start my change.org petition to have her recalled. Almost 650 people have signed so far. Under government proposals one day enough signatures on a petition may actually result in an MP being recalled. Right now, though, all we can do is try and get constituents’ voices heard. In last week’s PCC elections the Tory candidate lost by a handful of votes on an awful turnout. Reports suggest there were a few spoilt papers with anti-Dorries slogans on them. I wonder what that candidate thought of the I'm a Celeb adventure?

Dorries said she wanted more people to take an interest in politics. I would suggest that you reach new people with good ideas and by being committed to your constituents. In this regard she has completely failed as far as I’m concerned. It does however, seem like her constituents have taken a keener interest in politics - but not in the way she hoped.

I’m a constituent, Nadine, and I want you out of here.