Phillip Lee MP quits Tories and joins Lib Dems over 'manipulation, bullying and lies'
The ex-justice minister, a prominent supporter of a second EU referendum, crosses the floor in the House of Commons.
Tuesday 3 September 2019 17:52, UK
A former minister has defected from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats to wipe out Boris Johnson's majority in the House of Commons.
Phillip Lee crossed the floor in the Commons on Tuesday as the prime minister made a statement to MPs following parliament's return from its summer break.
The ex-justice minister, a prominent supporter of a second EU referendum, sat with Jo Swinson's party on the opposition benches as Mr Johnson began his remarks.
In a statement released soon after his dramatic action, Dr Lee said: "This Conservative Government is aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways.
"It is putting lives and livelihoods at risk unnecessarily and it is wantonly endangering the integrity of the UK.
"More widely, it is undermining our country's economy, democracy and role in the world.
"It is using political manipulation, bullying and lies. And it is doing these things in a deliberate and considered way."
In his resignation letter to Mr Johnson, Dr Lee claimed Brexit had "helped to transform this once great party into something more akin to a narrow faction, where an individual's 'conservatism' is measured by how recklessly one wishes to leave the EU".
A "delighted" Ms Swinson hailed Dr Lee's commitment to preventing a "disastrous" no-deal Brexit and "to stop Brexit altogether".
Her party now has 15 MPs in the House of Commons, with Tuesday also seeing Jane Dodds sworn in as a Lib Dem MP following her victory in August's by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire.
Dr Lee's defection means the government no longer enjoys a working majority in the Commons, although Dover MP Charlie Elphicke is expected to still vote with the government.
Former Tory MP Sarah Wollaston and ex-Labour MP Chuka Umunna have also recently joined the Lib Dems, although both formed part of Change UK before switching parties again.
Dr Lee later hinted at further defections from the Tories, telling Sky News: "I guess the elevation of Boris Johnson to the prime minister's position has accelerated events... and I don't expect to be the last person to make this decision."
He added: "I don't think that everybody who's currently siting as a Conservative is going to be sitting as a Conservative after the next election.
"Whether they join the Liberal Democrats or not, it's an individual decision but I really wouldn't be surprised if more come to this conclusion over the next few days."
A number of Tory MPs are poised to back a cross-party effort to block a no-deal exit from the EU, despite the threat of deselection if they do so.
Downing Street has said the prime minister will move to call a snap election if MPs seize control of proceedings in the Commons.
Ahead of this, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he "fully expects" the bill to pass.
The alliance of MPs will hold a vote on their legislation on Wednesday if they are successful in wrestling control of the order paper from the government later today.
Exact numbers are hard to pin down, but a total of 14 Tories have signalled their intention to vote against the government, according to a Sky News tally.
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Former chancellor Philip Hammond, the informal leader of the rebel MPs, has predicted they will be successful in forcing the PM to seek a Brexit delay.
After Theresa May struggled to get a deal passed by MPs and had to seek two extensions to the Brexit deadline, Mr Johnson has committed to taking Britain out of the bloc at the end of October.
This includes without a deal if necessary, something a majority of MPs are against.
They fear it will cause damage to the British economy and disrupt numerous aspects of day-to-day life.
The likes of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and Plaid Cymru are all opposed to no deal.
To head off a damaging defeat, the PM has warned potential rebels they will be deselected as candidates in the election he would push for if the Commons votes to block no deal.
However, Mr Johnson's tough line has caused disquiet within his party.
Dominic Grieve, who served as attorney general under David Cameron, said the threat demonstrated the PM's "ruthlessness" in power.
Mr Hammond, who was re-selected as the Tory candidate for Runnymede and Weybridge on Monday, has warned of the "fight of a lifetime" if party officials try to stop him from standing at the next election.
Tory MP Justine Greening has confirmed she will back the push to block no deal.
The former education secretary has also confirmed she will not stand at the next election.
Ms Greening said her fears the Conservative Party was turning into Nigel Farage's Brexit Party had "come to pass" and accused Mr Johnson of "narrowing down" the party's appeal.
In a speech outside Downing Street on Monday, the PM insisted "I don't want an election, you don't want an election".
But Downing Street has made clear that he will act if MPs vote to "wreck" the government's negotiating position.
Defeat in any election would mean Mr Johnson would go down as one of the shortest-serving PMs in history.
His brief time in Downing Street so far has been eventful, with one particular flash point his decision to suspend parliament for five weeks in the run-up to Brexit day.
This decision has been the subject of legal challenges, with one of them taking place in Scotland.