In the news

Christian Wakeford, MP for Bury South, has defected to Labour.

Why would you do that shortly before a vote of no-confidence?

pointlessly optimistic about brexit and [...] global Britain

I suppose so

She's got strong Maggie twinset and pearls vibes?

Are they really that shallow? Actually, did I ask that question?

Either he's completely thick or he knows there's not going to be one. Spices up PMQs though, as I said.

Slightly disappointed he didn't moonwalk across the floor or something

Anything short of the worm is poor

I really do wish Hoyle would just chuck them out, rather than endless warnings.

Labour - cartwheel surely

When was the last time somebody moved between Labour and the Tory's. They normally land in the Lib Dems

Johnson has batted off everything that Starmer has thrown at him, just repeating the same lines. Thing is, that's the stuff that sticks

I just hope that when all this is done that a lot of people are going to realise just how big a lie they were sold on Brexit.

Idk it was pretty clear at the last election it was a impossible shambles. But yet people voted for "get Brexit done" and the Arch Bishop of Banterbury.

People rarely admit that they're wrong, let alone that they're a bunch of mugs.

TBH that's what has really got peoples goats - they expect Tory MPs to be bunging contracts to their mates and know deep down that they are thought of as muggles. But when someone basically straight up tells you that they think you're a stupid cunt by going to a party and then doubling down by not just telling you that it isn't a party, but actually expecting you to believe them if they keep saying it!? Well that pushes people over the edge.

It's just like the Cummings eye sight test. People can't dress their outrage however they want, but it's actually just ego. You can only mug people off so far before you boil their piss.

There is an extensive list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elected_British_politicians_who_have_changed_party_affiliation

Quentin Davies went Tory -> Labour in 2007
Reg Prentice went Labour -> Tory in 1977

(I may have missed one)
Edit: There are lots of Tory -> Labour in between

Arch Bishop of Banterbury 😂

My son had to do punishment homework for having his phone on in class.

The theme "Write something on the topic if you think Boris Johnson deserves punishment"

Actually thinking about it, Labour should contract some Russian hackers and include fake emails between prominent Tory's joking about what thick shits the electorate are.

I reckon a campaign along the lines of:
THEY THINK YOU ARE STUPID
would work well.

David Davis quoting Leo Amery (quoting Oliver Cromwell) is a proper knife in the back

Dan Hodges reporting that the 54 letters will be in by 5pm.

That was a good moment.

Everything crossed.

Who do you want to replace him?

That's what I'm struggling with at the moment. Whilst it's fun to watch them squirm, it's not like a vote of no confidence in Johnson removes the Tories from power, if he loses another snake will just rise in his place.

Are any of the others actually any better as people/human beings?

Depending on the kids age, that's kinda sinister

No, which is why Johnson sticking around after narrowly winning a VONC is probably "best" as it damages the Tories more than say Truss.

She just likes to appear to win things - vide all the slightly worse than they were before trade deals, and then the Australian and NZ deal that the Antipodeans could not believe due to how unbalanced it was in their favour, all being presented as triumphs that realise the Brexit Dividend.

It's why the EU think they can work with her - she'll sign on the line then spin it as a victory, doesn't matter what the substance is. It's also why the Tory party membership like her - she's the only one who has "delivered on Brexit", even though it's all, well, lies.

But she might stem the damage, whereas another 12 months of Johnson will hammer their reputation beyond the point of any return, with any luck, and may cause the 2019 Tories to follow Bury South's example.

Lefty teachers with a NI twist..

Are any of the others actually any better as people/human beings?

Not really, but I think for all the awfulness of their views and/or general thickness, Sunak or Truss maybe have a shred of integrity and wouldn't be so abjectly corrupt and dishonest. I'll admit, the bar is set low. Out of the frying pan into the saute pan, perhaps.

I don't think MPs should be able to defect without it triggering an automatic byelection (even if it does make things awkward for Boris).

To be fair to UKIP (and this is all I'll say in their credit), when Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless defected from the Tories, they also resigned to force byelections. By winning them both, they made a bigger point than a simple defection would have done, which was probably the point, but they at least realised they should give the voters a choice.

I agree with that. Apparently what pushed the South Bury guy over the edge was the whips threatening him with re-districting which would have removed his seat anyway, so very much a nothing to lose scenario for him (if he didn't fall into line like a good boy).