Former Conservative MP Sam Gyimah joins Lib Dems

Former Conservative MP Sam Gyimah has joined the Liberal Democrats.

Six MPs have defected to the party in recent weeks, including former Tory MP Philip Lee, and ex-Labour MPs Luciana Berger and Chuka Umunna.

Mr Gyimah was one of the 21 Tories who had the Conservative whip removed after rebelling against Boris Johnson in a bid to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Last December, the East Surrey MP quit as science and universities minister in a row over Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

The 43-year-old briefly stood in the race to become Conservative Party leader after Mrs May quit.

The Lib Dems currently have 18 MPs, having been boosted by a victory in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election and the defections.

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In an interview with the Observer, Mr Gyimah said he was “an outcast in the Conservative party”, adding: “But that’s Brexit. It has divided families. The country is divided. This is a huge fault line.”

He said: “I’ve been involved in the Conservative party for two decades. I’ve fought for the party. I have an unusual background – I’m not your typical Tory recruit.

“I’ve spent a long time evangelising about why people should look at the Conservative party seriously. It is sad that I find myself at a crossroads.”

‘Values under threat’

Mr Gyimah, who has been sitting as an Independent after losing the Conservative whip, has been a prominent advocate for a second referendum. He previously signalled his intention to stand as an independent candidate in East Surrey in the event of a snap general election.

He was introduced to delegates at the Liberal Democrats conference in Bournemouth by the party’s leader Jo Swinson as the “newest Liberal Democrat MP”.

Addressing the conference, Mr Gyimah said he did not take the decision to join the Lib Dems lightly and had started reconsidering his position in the Tories while Mrs May negotiated her deal with the EU.

But he said his concerns with the Conservative party now “go beyond Brexit”.

“The values we have taken for granted for so long in our country… are under threat,” Mr Gyimah said. “What Jo and I discussed are the Liberal Democrats have a unique opportunity to fight to defend those values and create a new force in British politics. That is why I find myself here today.”

He said “the problem is not just on the Conservative side. When I look across the aisle, I also see on the Labour benches the same issue I have seen on the Conservative side, a doctrinaire, intolerant approach which means centrists are being squeezed out”.

Mr Gyimah’s move was welcomed by Lib Dem MPs.

Mr Umunna tweeted he was “absolutely delighted” and Layla Moran said: “Welcome… So delighted to have you on the team”.

A bid by Mr Johnson for an autumn general election has so far been rejected by MPs who wanted to first make sure a bill designed to avoid a no-deal Brexit became law.

But since the bill, which seeks to force Mr Johnson to ask for a extension to the deadline, has been given Royal Assent, opposition MPs are preparing to start their general election campaigns.

As the Lib Dem conference opened, Ms Swinson said the party’s anti-Brexit message should be “unequivocal” in a general election campaign.

She expressed her hopes that members would back her policy proposal of scrapping Brexit without another referendum.