A Labour MP who aims to end the “postcode lottery” for Brits struggling with alcohol abuse has recalled the night he had to identify his brother who died over the limit "quite substantially".
Christian Wakeford older brother was killed in a car accident on February 13 2015, after struggling with an alcohol dependency issue for some time.
Mr Wakefield only became aware of his drinking problem around three months before his brother’s death “as he was literally crying out for help”.
Speaking to Gloria de Piero on GB News he said: “I”m not sure if his dependency started before his marital breakdown or during, but it was certainly there.
“When we were finding bottles of Vodka around the house and ultimately in his car as well, that’s when we realised this was a lot more than just liking a drink.”
The MP’s brother had been living with him in the run up to his death time with his brother and on the morning of his death he recalls having a good converstion with him. But nothing that could have prepared him for the news he’d receive later that day.
“I had to go in the back of a police car to identify my brother,” Mr Wakeford said.
"I got a knock on the door by the police to tell me that Mark had been in an accident and that he’d died on the motorway.
"Turns out he was over the limit quite substantially .
"It ripped the heart out of the family.
"To be the one having drive to one of my older brother’s to tell him and his dad that this had happened.
"Yeah, it’s a weekend that I'll never forget."
He still has a lot of questions and still has “a lot of anger to this day”.
He admits he’s gone through many stages of grief as he can’t find the answers to his questions.
But Mr Wakeford said his brother’s death has enabled him to understand the how difficult it is to get help for alcoholism.
He’d been campaigning to de-stigmatise alcohol dependency long before he defected to Labour.
Working with Labour’s Dan Carden, he was able to share his personal experiences and strike a friendship.
Mr Wakeford insists there is a lot more unity within MPs of different parties, and hopes more friendships are formed between different sides.
The loss of friendships made in his 20 years in the Conservative party is what left him with “sleepless nights” as he made the decision to defect to Labour.
Moments after he famously crossed the floor as Prime Ministers Questions was about to start, Mr Wakeford recalls feeling physically sick.
“PMQs was awful", he said.
“I think genuinely my greatest achievement was not throwing up on the back of Keir [Starmer’s] head and I’m sure he’s grateful for that too.”
Some Tory MPs have apologised for their behaviour in the Commons moments after Mr Wakeford defected.
“There were hecklers, there was abusive language but there’s been some apologies.”
He adds: “The negative comments have stopped, but it’s more of a blanking from friends, friends of 12,13,14 years and it will take a long time because they’re the ones who will feel the most hurt, who will feel the most betrayed.”
But, there are still some of his old colleagues who will embrace him.
“One old friend openly gives me a hug in the middle of Portcullis House.
“And that’s meant a lot over the last couple of weeks”.
