defection

Calls from the opposition for the military and security forces to abandon President Maduro have so far not produced significant defections.

But Badenoch dismissed the announcement of the defections as "a stunt".

Nigel Farage's party has been using the third day of the conference to announce a string of councillor defections to Reform UK.

She also denied she was "looking over her shoulder" at Nigel Farage, after recent defections from her party to Reform UK.

There were no new defections during the vote on Wednesday, but if five more Democrats break ranks, the shutdown will end – whether the rest of the Democratic Party wants it to or not.