Pressure is growing on Harry Cohen, MP for Leyton & Wanstead, to resign his seat immediately, rather than remain as MP until a general election (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Pressure is growing on Harry Cohen, MP for Leyton & Wanstead, to resign his seat immediately, rather than remain as MP until a general election

2:07pm Monday 6th July 2009 in

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PRESSURE is mounting on Harry Cohen to stand down from his Leyton seat with immediate effect.

Mr Cohen has announced he will not stand at the next general election following his role in the expenses scandal.

But for many of his opponents, this is not enough and they want him to resign his seat now, prompting a by-election.

On Friday dozens of protestors, including trade unionists, will protest outside Mr Cohen's surgery in the Epicentre, in West Street, Leytonstone.

Alex Gounelas, a Socialist Party campaign organiser, said constituents had been outraged by Mr Cohen's “Caligula-like appetite for expenses”.

She said: “If Gordon Brown puts off an election until the last minute in 2010, Mr Cohen has almost an entire year's worth of his inflated MPs salary, pension fund and expenses to cash in safe in the knowledge that he no longer needs a mandate from us.

“We don't want MPs with snouts in the trough,, we want MPs to represent workers in the area that live on the average worker's wage and know what it is like for the people they are supposed to represent to get by.”

Edwin Northover, the Conservative prospective candidate for Leyton, said the scandal had raised serious questions about Mr Cohen's judgement.

He said: “We are therefore calling on him to stand down now and call a by-election.  We want to offer the people of Leyton & Wanstead a clear alternative to this moribund government". 

Farooq Qureshi, the Lib Dem candidate, said it would not be fair to put the constituency through a by-election so close to a general election, but said Gordon Brown should call a general election.

But Cllr Qureshi said: “It has been proved that a lot of members currently serving are involved in the misuse of public money, these people are not fit to serve and Harry is near the top of the list.”

Mr Cohen, who claims for his second home which is just six miles from Parliament at Woodcote Road, Wanstead, received a Additional Cost Allowance of £104, 701 between 2002 and 2007, and was the joint highest claimant between 2007 and 2008.

His main family home is listed as a 200-year-old converted school in Colchester, Essex.

He angered many by claiming he was “more professional” than former prime minister Winston Churchill.

Friday's protest will take place from 7pm.