Michael Dugher MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, responding to Mark Reckless MP defecting to UKIP and resigning from Parliament, said:

“This is a hammer blow to David Cameron’s already weakened authority.

“On the eve of his conference we again see that Conservatives’ confidence in Cameron is plummeting. David Cameron has always pandered to his right, and even they are now deserting him.

“This also underlines that UKIP are a party of Tory people, Tory policies and Tory money.

“It is clearer than ever that only Labour has a plan to make everyday working people across the country better off.“