Heidi Allen has denied speculation that she is defecting to the Liberal Democrats

Change UK’s interim leader has denied speculation that she is defecting to the Liberal Democrats after a bruising week in which the party lost one candidate and sank to the lowest poll numbers since its launch.

Heidi Allen, the South Cambridgeshire MP who resigned from the Conservatives in February, said: “It wouldn’t look good if I defected from one party and defected to another a few weeks later.” She added: “It’s not something that I am considering.”

The pro-Europe MP hinted, however, that Change UK might have to enter an alliance with the Lib Dems after Thursday’s European elections.

Allen, 44, said: “I hope we’ll be able to work more effectively in the future.”

Her comments come days after David Macdonald, a Change UK candidate