Lewes MP Maria Caulfield's absence from vote on Privileges Committee report on Boris Johnson is explained

The Commons debate started at 4.19pm on Monday (June 19) and the vote, which was passed by 354 votes to seven, was taken at around 9.30pm.

Mr Johnson has already resigned as an MP ahead of a sanction, which would likely have seen him facing a by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

While more than a hundred Tory MPs voted in support of the report, a handful voted against.

Meanwhile no votes were recorded for 225 Members of Parliament, either because they purposefully decided to abstain or were unable to make the vote.

Unless an MP volunteers this information, there is no way of members of the public finding out the reason for an absence from a Commons vote.

This is what happened in Lewes MP Maria Caulfield’s case, who posted on her social media pages on Wednesday after a number of messages from constituents, explaining that she had a family funeral this week.

She posted a picture of an order of service for the Wednesday funeral for ‘those sick individuals who have been asking me for proof'.

She added: “I am ever grateful to the whips for allowing me a few hours off to spend time with my family this week.”

Ms Caulfield, who is both minister for mental health and women’s health strategy and minister for women, has not yet publicly declared which way she would have voted on the report had she been in attendance.

Before the reason given for her absence was known, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate James MacCleary, called on the Lewes MP to make a statement on how she would have voted had she been able to attend.

Later Emily O’Brien, a Green Party councillor and prospective Parliamentary candidate, said: “I note that Maria Caulfield has subsequently said she was on leave due a bereavement and I send her warm wishes and condolences. I would suggest however that in such a high-profile matter she could have asked her staff to issue a statement clarifying she is on leave, and also setting out her view on the report which naturally residents want to know.”