A CONSERVATIVE MP has avoided speaking with the Comet to answer questions on why she left her constituents for three weeks to take part in a reality TV show.

Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, appeared on ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! but since her return has failed to answer questions from the local press over why she decided to jet off to Australia, what she will be doing with the money she has received from her stint on the show, and how she plans on rebuilding her relationship with her constituents.

The 55-year-old, who was suspended from her party for not informing senior Conservative party leaders about appearing on the TV show, returned to the UK on Monday.

Ms Dorries has been busy tweeting, one read: “Arrived in Heathrow to scores of paps – has the world gone mad? I’ve only had three sitting days away the rest was half term.”

The mother-of-two was the first contestant to be voted off the show last Wednesday and has since been summoned to meet with chief whip Sir George Young.

His spokesman said: “The whip has not been restored and nor will it be until she proves she can rebuild bridges with her constituents, her association and her parliamentary colleagues”.

Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Party chairman, Paul Duckett said: “I’ve spoken to her, I have filled her in on the media responses she has been getting and that there have been good and bad comments from constituents.

“I will be meeting with her next week at some point to discuss things further.”

Momentum is mounting from constituents for Ms Dorries to resign.

Jonathan Paxton, 36, from Barton-Le-Clay has gathered more than 600 signatures from constituents to call for a by-election.

“I think it is terrible that she went away without any permission,” he said. “She thought it was okay for her to leave parliament. We have had flood warnings in Bedfordshire and thankfully we have not had any real issues, but had there have been she was not contactable.

“There is no procedure to recall an MP so the only way we could get our voices heard was by getting a petition together. She is more interested in building a profile outside of politics.”

He will be presenting the petition to the chairman of the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Party on Monday.