UK gov't loses working majority in parliament

LONDON

The U.K. government has lost its working majority in the House of Commons after Tory MP Phillip Lee's defection to opposition's Liberal Democrats hours before a crucial vote on Tuesday.

Lee, who previously served as a minister in justice ministry, said he took the decision for the future of the country and his constituents in an interview with Sky News.

"After a great deal of thought, I have reached the conclusion that it is no longer possible to serve my constituents’ and country’s best interests as a Conservative Member of Parliament," he wrote on Twitter.

The move has cancelled the Boris Johnson's working majority in the House. Johnson yesterday urged Tory MPs to move with the party this week against a motion that would take parliament business to force to cancel a no-deal Brexit on Oct 31.

The Conservative Party had lost its thin majority and had to make a "confidence and supply" agreement with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party after a snap election in 2017 called by then-Prime Minister Theresa May.

The House of Commons is expected to see crucial Brexit-related votes this week and the latest resignation by Lee signals possible defeat for Johnson.