FORMER Tory MP Christian Wakeford has defected from the Conservatives to join Labour. What happens when an MP defects?
A 'Red Wall' Tory MP has defected to Labour in protest over the "partygate" scandal. Christian Wakeford, MP for Bury South elected in the 2019 washout, made his defection public just moments before Boris Johnson faced MPs at Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon.
Mr Wakeford was cheered by Labour MPs as he took his place for the first time on the opposition side at PMQ's.
He sat on the second row directly behind Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader.
In a damning letter to the Prime Minister, the newly Labour MP said he "reached the conclusion that the best interests of my constituents are served by the programme put forward by Keir Starmer and his party”.
What happens when an MP defects?
Known as 'crossing the floor', when an MP defects they change the party they stand for in parliament, and will often switch political opinions to reflect that of the party they have joined.
There is no formal process in parliament for crossing the floor.
An MP must let their leader know they wish to leave their current party to join the other side, which is usually welcomed by the opposing party.
There is no by-election when an MP crosses the floor.
Historically, the Commons has acted on the principle that all Members of the House of Commons are individually elected, and voters put a “cross against the name of a candidate”.
The practice of crossing the floor is not often done, but there are some notable examples in history.
Winston Churchill defected from the Conservative Party in May 1904, joining the Liberal Party and becoming a minister in 1905.
He later rejoined the Conservative party following a defeat in the 1922 and 1923 elections.
But the trend for defection certainly falls in favour of the Labour party, with most defections going from Tory to Labour.
Quentin Davies crossed the floor from the opposition Conservative Party to the governing Labour Party in June 2007.
Robert Jackson, defected from the Conservatives for Labour, in January 2005.
He exited Parliament at the next election, in May 2005.
Shaun Woodward, who was elected as a Conservative Member in Witney in 1997, crossed the floor in December 1999.
At the general election in 2001, he was elected as a Labour Member in St Helens South, and he went on to serve as Northern Ireland Secretary from 2007-10 in the Labour Cabinet.
