Labour MP and solicitor Fiona Onasanya has been charged with two counts of seeking to pervert the course of justice. The 34-year-old former commercial property solicitor, who is still on the roll, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month along with her brother Festus Onasanya, news reports revealed yesterday. They are due to return to court on 13 August. 

According to the BBC, the charges allege that the pair intended to pervert the course of justice by driving a vehicle in excess of the speed limit, falsely informing the investigating authorities that a third party had been the driver and enabling them, as a consequence, to avoid such prosecution and punishment.

Onasanya, who was elected as Peterborough MP in 2017 with a majority of 607, has not commented in public. Her victory over long-standing Conservative MP Stewart Jackson was considered one of the biggest shocks of last year’s election. 

According to the Find a Solicitor website, Onasanya is a non-practising solicitor who was admitted in November 2015. She studied law at the University of Hertfordshire. 

On Friday, Onasanya issued the following statement through social media: ’I will be robustly defending all these allegations, and strongly refute any suggestions that I have broken the law. As these proceedings are now ongoing, I will be making no further comment on the matter.’