Former South West Tory MEP Julie Girling has urged Remain voters to back the Liberal Democrats in the European elections this month.
Ms Girling served as an MEP for 10 years with the Conservatives but was expelled from the party last year after she supported a vote in Strasbourg, which stated that not enough progress had been made in the first stage of Brexit negotiations.
She had been elected twice to the European Parliament for the Conservatives for the South West and Gibraltar region.
Brand new music venue and bar to open in Bristol city centre
And when it was announced that the UK would be taking part in the European elections this year, Ms Girling was said to be leading the Change UK charge in the South West.
But on the eve of the party’s election campaign launch in Bristol last month Ms Girling revealed that she would no longer be standing because she didn’t want to split the Remain vote.
And now she is throwing her support behind the Liberal Democrats - although she has not joined the party.
She said: "The Liberal Democrats scored a huge success in last week's local elections, gaining more than 160 seats across the South West.
"I have respect for Green MEP and candidate Molly Scott Cato and wish her well, but the facts are that the Lib Dems have always been a strongly pro European party and are clearly the strongest Remain party here.
"In my view, the best way to get a People's Vote to stop Brexit is to vote Lib Dem. That will send a very clear message to Mrs May and Mr Corbyn. That is what I will be doing. I urge other Remain voters to vote Lib Dem to stop Brexit."
The European Parliamentary elections take place from May 23 to 26. Voters in the UK head to the polls on Thursday, May 23.
Find out who is standing here: European elections 2019: List of candidates for the South West
