Christian Wakeford, right, won the Lancashire seat for the Tories at the 2019 general election with a majority of 402 © Russell Hart / Alamy
Christian Wakeford, the Conservative MP for Bury South, defected from the Labor party on Wednesday just minutes before Boris Johnson was due to address the House of Commons.
The 37-year-old won the Lancashire seat for the Tories at the 2019 general election with a majority of just 402, said the Conservatives had “shown their inability to deliver the leadership and government roles that the land has to offer.” country deserves it”.
The timing of the defection was a major blow to Johnson, coming just minutes before the prime minister was due to face MPs in the Commons at the time of questioning. Wakeford’s defection was Labor’s first in 15 years.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labor party, said Wakeford “always put the people of Bury South first”. He added: “As Christian said, the policies of the Conservative government do nothing to help the people of Bury South and really only make the struggles they face every day worse.” .
James Frith, a former Labor MP for Bury North, said: “I think he’s shown great bravery in recent weeks.”
The last Tory MP to defect from Labor was in 2007 when Quentin Davies, a former MP for Grantham and Stamford, jumped ship.
Shaun Woodward, a millionaire Conservative MP, switched to Labor in 1999 and ended up as a cabinet minister.
More recently, former Commons Speaker John Bercow, a once right-wing Tory MP, joined the Labor party, albeit after he left parliament.
Senior Tory MPs have said they believe Johnson could soon face a vote of no confidence, as MPs first elected in 2019 conspired to bring down the prime minister as parties were ousted. Alleged deadlock in Downing Street.
Fifty-four Tory MPs need to request a vote of no confidence to trigger such a vote. Some Tory MPs have marked the letters, while others are awaiting the results of an investigation into the parties by Sue Grey, a senior civil servant.
A former cabinet minister said he wasn’t sure exactly when a confidence vote would be triggered, but added: “I think a vote is already underway.” However, Johnson loyalists believe the prime minister can handle the leadership challenge.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday will lay out a plan to lift Covid-19 Plan B measures – including work-from-home instruction and Covid cards – from January 26, when they legally expire in any any case.
While that would please many Tory MPs, their main focus is on whether Johnson can survive the term. Criticisms by anonymous ministers in the Tory conspirators’ cabinet have fueled anger within the party.
Johnson is expected to meet with potential insurgents on Wednesday to effectively apply for the job, following a similar series of meetings on Tuesday night.
According to a JL Partners poll for Channel 4 released on Wednesday, according to a JL Partners poll, Labor has an 11-point lead over the so-called “red wall” of Northern constituency.
The Conservatives will lose all but three of the 45 “red wall” seats, according to a “watchers” poll taken from November 2020. Labor leads the poll with 11 points, with 48% of those surveyed supporting the opposition and just 37% of cents supporting the Tories.
