Christian Wakeford: Who is the former Tory MP who defected to Labour?

Former Conservative MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour on Wednesday as the “Partygate” scandal embroiled Westminster.

The 37-year-old was elected in Bury South in 2019 - a “Red Wall” seat that had previously been a Labour stronghold.

He beat veteran Labour MP Ivan Lewis, who had represented the constituency since 1997, by 402 votes.

Prior to becoming an MP, Mr Wakeford had held a handful of local local government roles.

He worked as an education authority governor and was elected as a Conservative councillor on Lancashire County Council in 2013.

In May 2015 he was elected as a Conservative borough councillor for Barrowford ward on Pendle Borough Council and from 2019 to 2020 he was leader of the Conservative Group on Pendle Borough Council.

Mr Wakeford had also worked as a House of Commons case worker for Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson.

Why did he defect to Labour?

Mr Wakeford said crossing the Commons floor was the “most difficult decision I have ever had to make”.

The Standard understands he had been in talks with Labour whips to defect for months before he finally made the move.

Sources said he was “mentally drained” by Boris Johnson’s leadership and the scandals engulfing the Government.

After defecting he said that the row over Downing Street parties had been the final straw, but also highlighted issues including the provision of free school meals, the row over Dominic Cummings’ behaviour during lockdown, the cost-of-living crisis and the Owen Paterson affair.

Previously he was best known for publicly calling the disgraced former cabinet minister Mr Paterson a “c***” as MPs voted on changing the standards system to save him from suspension.

In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Wakeford said: “Britain needs a government focused on tackling the cost of living crisis and providing a path out of the pandemic that protects living standards and defends the security of all.

“It needs a government that upholds the highest standards of integrity and probity in public life and sadly both you and the Conservative Party as a whole have shown themselves incapable of offering the leadership and government this country deserves.”

Role in the “Pork Pie Plot”

A group of “Red Wall” MPs are understood to have met on Tuesday in what has been dubbed the “Pork Pie Plot” because of the involvement of the MP for Rutland and Melton Alicia Kearns.

The group reportedly discussed coordinating when they will submit their letters of no confidence in the PM to the 1922 committee.

Mr Wakeford has said he was not at the meeting and had already submitted his letter before resigning from the party.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, must receive 54 letters from serving Tory MPs to force a leadership contest.