Caroline Voaden Responds to Sarah Woolaston's Departure

The Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for nearly three years now to stop Brexit - a policy that we believe will damage the United Kingdom for generations.

Today Sarah Wollaston MP left the Conservative Party because of its shift to the right and the government's 'disastrous handling of Brexit'.

"We no longer believe we can remain in the Party of a Government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP," she said in her resignation letter, sent with colleagues Heidi Allen and Anna Soubry.

The Liberal Democrats have offered a hand of friendship to the new Independent Group of MPs and would be pleased to see others who share our values join in, both Labour and Conservatives.

Totnes Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Caroline Voaden said: "We have been saying for years that our politics is broken and the two-party system is not fit for purpose.

"We are happy to work with others who share our values and believe that Britain deserves better politics. Brexit has redrawn the boundaries and there is now, more than ever, a need for collaborative work in parliament and also on the ground."

Vince Cable said earlier this week "we believe the immediate priority is to collaborate on Brexit where there is a disastrous no deal to be seen off and the continuing hope of a people's vote as the best way to end the current uncertainty. And beyond that is the need to develop a clear prospectus: ideas which those from liberal or social democratic traditions can promote together to fight the dangerous populism of the left and right."