British MP Fiona Onasanya will earn $150k salary despite prison sentence

Fiona Onasanya is the first sitting British MP to face jail since 1991.
Fiona Onasanya is the first sitting British MP to face jail since 1991. Photo credit: Getty

A sitting British MP will be the first to be sent to prison in 28 years after she lied to police.  

Fiona Onasanya has been expelled from the Labour Party after she was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by lying to police about who was driving when her car was snapped on camera speeding.  

The 35-year-old was sentenced to three months in prison on Tuesday at the Old Bailey courthouse in London, The Telegraph reports. 

Onasanya was caught speeding less than two months after being elected in 2017 as MP for Peterborough. But while she has been urged to resign, Onasanya reportedly plans to serve as MP from prison.

According to The Telegraph, she said her taxpayer-funded $150k salary was her only source of income, so she couldn't stand down from the role.

Her brother became embroiled in the scandal after it was revealed he was involved in the deception. He has been sentenced to 10 months in prison. 

A judge told Onasanya she has not only let herself down, but "let down those who look to you for inspiration, your party, your profession and Parliament". 

She's the first sitting MP to face jail since Labour MP Terry Fields, who served from 1983 to 1992, was sentenced for not paying a community charge. 

If an MP is sentenced to over a year in prison they will be disqualified. 

Newshub.