London: A beauty contest for cats of British MPs has turned "political" after the leading feline in the poll was withdrawn following vote-rigging claims.
Sheryll Murray, a Conservative Party MP, pulled her cat out of the Westminster beauty contest after getting in a flap about vote rigging allegations last night.
Murray said she had withdrawn Bosun from the `Purr Minister competition` to focus on her flood-hit constituency, The Mirror reported.
The South East Cornwall MP`s decision has plunged the event organised by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home into chaos.
Labour Party`s Andrew Gwynne had already taken his pet Jude out of the running in protest after Bosun took an unassailable lead by racking up 30,000 votes in a single night.
The shadow Health minister accused Murray or her allies of using computer trickery to give her cat an unfair advantage.
But the Murray insisted she was innocent and said that the allegations had been "very upsetting" for her and her children.
Murray lost her fisherman husband to an accident at sea three years ago.
"This whole situation has been very upsetting. I entered Bosun as a bit of fun to promote the good work of Battersea Dogs and Cats home. Bosun is a much loved family pet who is now 14 years old," she was quoted by the daily as saying.
"I entered Bosun before the recent storms but unfortunately Labour have decided to make this political and I have decided to withdraw him as I have to concentrate on the many storm affected areas in my constituency," she said.
