"It does leave a few wounds"

More political defections are predicted - with dispute over the timing but not the impact. Switching sides in Parliament earnt the name 'Crossing the floor.' The expression is said to date back to infighting during the reign of King William III. In 1692, John Grobham Howe left his Whig roots to become a supporter of Toryism. Lord McNally (Tom) was a Labour man until he defected to what was the SDP and later the Liberal Democrats. He told BH about the emotional impact of crossing the floor. #Defection #Labour #Libdems