The hopes of voters who want Britain to ditch Brexit received a boost after Change UK said it could form an electoral pact with the Liberal Democrats.

Former Labour MP Chuka Umunna, the party’s spokesman, said the parties should agree not to stand against each other in the next general election.

He said politicians who want Britain to remain in the EU need to work "even more closely together" following the European elections.

It comes after his party's leader, Heidi Allen, admitted she threatened to quit in an internal row over tactical voting to maximise the pro-remain challenge to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

Mr Umunna told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on Saturday: "The remain forces in this country need to work even more closely together than we have managed to achieve up to this point between now and the general election."

Asked if Change UK could form a pact with the Liberal Democrats - similar to the alliance between the SDP and the Liberal Party in the 1983 general election - where their candidates do not stand against each other, Mr Umunna said: "I think it would be sensible."

He added: "I personally don't think we should be competing at a general election and, of course, whilst we had a system of proportional representation at the European elections, it's going to be first past the post in a general election, so we have got to get our ducks in a row and work out what configuration is appropriate for 2019 and beyond instead of just perhaps using the same model from the 1980s."