Government loses working majority as Tory MP defects to Lib Dems

Boris Johnson’s government has lost their working majority as Tory MP Dr Philip Lee for Bracknell has defected to the Liberal Democrats.

Ahead of the fierce showdown in parliament Lee took his seat on the opposition benches as the prime minister addressed the House of Commons.

Lee said that the government are “pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways.”

Dr Lee said in a letter the Tories “had become a narrow faction in which one’s Conservatism is measured by how recklessly one wants to leave the European Union”.”

Dr Lee said in statement, “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.

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.”

Adding, “I believe the Liberal Democrats are best placed to build the unifying and inspiring political force needed to heal our divisions, unleash our talents, equip us to take the opportunities and overcome the challenges that we face as a society, and leave our country and our world in a better place for the next generations.”