Continuing, Heidi Allen says she believed she was "part of a party that worked collaboratively" and "had the empathy to feel".

"But I have slowly but surely realise that I am not," she adds.

She says she can no longer represent a party that "cannot open their eyes" to the suffering endured by the most vulnerable in society.

She says the prime minister has been "bullied into submission" by the Eurosceptic ERG group of Tory MPs and dragging the country to a "no-deal abyss" over Brexit.

Image source, ITN

Heidi Allen is the first to speak, saying the new group of Tory MPs should be known as the "three amigos", following on from the "Magnificent Seven" who left Labour yesterday.

She outlines why she first joined the Conservative party, saying that she had a “raw hunger to serve my country”.

Under former leader David Cameron, she says, she believed that the party was "challenging the 'nasty party' image" and showing it could be a party of "competence and compassion".

The three former Tory MPs who quit the party are giving a press conference now.

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Well that was a bit bizarre.

PMQs today had the air of a middle class dinner party where everyone was trying to pretend that some gargantuan social faux pas had not occurred.

All eleven members of the new Independent Group – eight ex-Labour MPs and three ex-Conservatives were gathered at their new roosting point, behind the SNP and the Lib Dems, and alongside the DUP – but their presence remained unremarked, until a parenthetical reference from the Lib Dem, Tom Brake.

No-one snarled. No-one cooed. A few MPs actually ventured over for a friendly word.

The SNP’s Pete Wishart joked with Anna Soubry, Labour’s Barry Sheerman actually edged onto the SNP benches to say something amicable to Sarah Wollaston. Plaid’s Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts paid a friendly social call. You half expected someone to bring a basket of muffins.

Meanwhile, across the chamber, Conservative ex-ministers Nicki Morgan and Philip Lee stood in what had been the Remainer 'naughty corner' and fixed an unreadable stare on their departed colleagues. Dr Lee, who today insisted that, despite his uber-Remain views on Brexit, he was not leaving the Conservative Party, chatted earnestly with Remainer minister Stephen Hammond, with party colleagues throwing curious glances in his direction.

The actual questions seemed almost secondary to the theatre attendant on the birth process for what may soon be a full-dress new party. There were Brexit questions, questions about anti-Semitism and constituency questions – but the only time the word “defection” was uttered was in the context of a Labour councillor in Brighton who’d switched to the Tories.

Oddly, the Indy Group themselves made no attempt to intervene, watching, chatting and consulting social media. I can see why the main parties didn’t wish to big them up with some direct attack – but the motive behind their silence is harder to fathom.

BBC News Channel

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat has been speaking about the three MPs who have left his party on the BBC News Channel.

He says: "When I look at Anna, Heidi, Sarah, I see three friends of mine who shouldn’t have gone, should have stayed and fought for Conservative values".

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

During PMQs, the MPs in the new Independent Group sat on the opposition benches.

In the background of this image, you can see Mike Gapes, Angela Smith, Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie and Gavin Shuker.

On the row in front, there's Luciana Berger, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston, Ann Coffey and Joan Ryan.

And with that, Prime Minister’s Questions come to an end - none of the former Labour or Tory MPs who have left their parties to sit in the Independent Group asked a question.

Perhaps unexpectedly, their defections were not raised by other MPs in the chamber during the questioning of the prime minister.

MPs have now moved on to the first of this afternoon’s urgent questions, on the economic impact of the government’s Brexit agreement.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative Maria Caulfield says that today a Labour councillor has left the party to join the Conservatives due to the on-going row in Labour over anti-Semitism.

She asks the PM to welcome her to the Conservatives.

Mrs May says Anne Meadows in Brighton and Hove Council has left "due to the bullying and anti-Semitism she has received from Momentum and the hard left".

"That's the harsh reality that decent, moderate Labour councillors" have to deal with "every day".

Mrs May says the councillor is welcomed "with open arms" into the Conservative Party.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Tory MP Philip Hollobone says he would like to commend the "swift action" of ministers in stripping UK citizenship from Shamima Begum, who joined the Islamic State group in Syria aged 15.

However, he says that 900 British nationals have joined IS, and only 40 have been prosecuted.

He asks whether the prime minister will "revisit" the provisions of the Treason Act to ensure those returning receive "suitable and just punishment".

Theresa May says that those who have gone to Syria could potentially pose a security threat.

Those coming back, she says, should be in "no doubt" that they will be "questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Liberal Democrat says "history will judge us all" and those in power will be particularly harshly judged.

He asks for the PM's deal to be voted on by the people, and asks for an extension to Article 50 to avoid leaving without a deal.

Mrs May says to avoid leaving the EU without a deal, he should vote for the deal the UK has secured.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The SNP's Ian Blackford says "Westminster is broken" and the UK is in the "middle of a constitutional crisis" on the brink "of a Brexit disaster".

He says that "Scotland deserves better". He asks when Parliament will get to vote on the PM's Brexit deal.

Mrs May says that the vote will be brought back when it is "possible" to do so, after the required changes have been made to the deal.

"Quite simply that is not good enough," Mr Blackford replies. He accuses the prime minister of "bringing the UK economy to its knees". He asks how many jobs have to be lost before she will act.

Mrs May says that the debt, deficit, and taxes are down. She says that jobs are up. She says the SNP would damage the economy in Scotland if they sought independence.