on 12 june 2008, davis said he was going to resign as an mp, and was immediately replaced as shadow home secretary. this was intended to force a by-election in his seat, for which he intended to seek re-election by mounting a specific campaign designed to provoke wider public debate about the erosion of civil liberties in the united kingdom. following his formal resignation as an mp on 18 june 2008, he officially became the conservative candidate in the resulting by-election and won it on 10 july 2008.