The surprise defection of Quentin Davies from the Tory benches to Labour was a huge shock to Cameron and marked the end of a very successful final week for Tony Blair. Davies, who was the Chairman of the Conservative Group on Europe, denounced his leader in an incendiary letter saying that the Tory party had "ceased to believe in anything" and that "a sense of mission had been replaced by a PR agenda". He added that he could not remain in the Conservative party if it sought to leave the European People's Party.

Quentin Davies is the thirteenth MP or MEP to leave the Conservatives to join Labour or the Lib Dems since 1992. During this time, just two Conservative peers have joined UKIP. Mr Davies' defection underlines how Europhile Tories have been marginalised by successive party leaders and that after fifteen years of vicious infighting, the pro-Europeans are still being pushed out.