New Bury South Labour MP Christian Wakeford, who dramatically defected from the Conservatives today, says his old party are 'trying to defend the indefensible - and they are doing so gladly'.
And PM Boris Johnson, he adds, is 'running out of road and running out of brass neck to hide behind'.
Mr Wakeford described his defection as 'the most difficult decision I have ever had to make'.
READ MORE: What former Tory Bury South MP Christian Wakeford told Boris Johnson as he defected to Labour
He referenced his comments with a list of recent Tory controversies, including free school meals, Universal Credit, the Dominic Cummings affair and so-called 'party-gate'.
Speaking to broadcasters today after sitting in his new opposition benches at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Wakeford said he was elected as a centrist and remained a centrist following his defection.
On whether there should now be a by-election in his Bury South constituency, he said: "I think it was quite clear that even the Prime Minister wasn't calling for a by-election today, and I think it's been quite clear that they [the Conservative Party] know they'd lose.
Mr Wakeford, who as a Tory MP backed a bill that could make by-elections mandatory for MPs who change political parties, told broadcasters: "I was elected as a moderate and as a centrist and I am still a moderate and a centrist.
"I'm just wearing a different rosette.
"I want to get on with the day-to-day job of representing the people who elected me as a centrist."
Mr Wakeford won Bury South, which had elected a Labour MP at every election since 1997, in 2019 - with a majority of just 402.
In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, he told Boris Johnson 'both you and the Conservative Party as a whole have shown themselves incapable of offering the leadership and government this country deserves'.
He told in today's interviews of the long reasoning process behind his defection - referencing 'soul-searching' and sleepless nights.
He told broadcasters: "This isn’t a matter of just deciding this morning, you know, I want to be a Labour MP - this has been many months in the build up.
"And whether it goes back to the issues over free school meals and Dominic Cummings, or over Universal Credit and the cost-of-living crisis… the Owen Paterson affair or now party-gate, there has been a lot of… build up to this and a lot of soul searching that's taken many sleepless nights."
He added: "This is something that has taken many months to come to and it's not been an easy decision, if anything it’s been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make.
"But I do think it’s the right decision for me, I think it’s the right decision for Bury South.
"There's been far too many issues where I've felt we've been on the wrong side.
"And compromise isn't a dirty word, but it is possible to compromise too far.
"And when it’s getting to a point where it’s difficult to explain some of these issues then you know it’s wrong.
"At the moment we (have) a party trying to defend the indefensible, and they are doing so gladly."
He went on to say he was not aware of any other Tory MPs who might be considering defecting.
"I am not aware of others but I am sure there's a lot of soul searching, whether that's to put letters in or to even… if there is another one who chooses to cross the floor, I will greet them with open arms myself, and I'm sure we’ll have a pint and chat."
On the future for Boris Johnson, he said: "I think he is running out of road and he is running out of brass neck to hide behind."
