Tory MP Christian Wakeford defects to Labour

Tory MP Christian Wakeford has defected to the Labour Party and called on Boris Johnson to quit as prime minister.

Mr Wakeford took the Bury South seat from Labour at the 2019 general election.

He was among the MPs to have written a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, following revelations about lockdown parties in Downing Street.

His defection comes as Mr Johnson prepares to face Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions.

Welcoming Mr Wakeford to his party, Sir Keir said: "He has always put the people of Bury South first.

"As Christian said, the policies of the Conservative government are doing nothing to help the people of Bury South and indeed are only making the struggles they face on a daily basis worse.

"People across Britain faces a cost of living crisis but this incompetent Tory government is asleep at the wheel, distracted by a chaos of its own making."