Labour's Clive Lewis voted against an early general election in protest at Theresa May's "short-termist party political antics", the MP told BuzzFeed News.
Lewis, a former member of Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet who is considered a contender to be the next leader of the opposition, was the best known of the 13 MPs who refused to support the snap election on Wednesday. The motion passed easily, with the backing of 522 MPs.
Lewis said he voted against the motion, breaking with his own party, because he thought the prime minister had changed her mind when it suited the Conservatives, not the country. May was backtracking on firm promises because she thought it would increase her party's hold on power, he said, at a time when she needed to be focused on the complex Brexit negotiations.
"I think that's wrong," said Lewis, who has represented Norwich South since 2015. "I think she lied to the British people.
"It just smacks of rank opportunism and it's grubby, in every detail. This is exactly what she said she wouldn't do."
Despite voting against the election, Lewis said he's prepared to fight a campaign against the Tories: "It doesn't mean I'm running scared."
Liz McInnes, Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton in Greater Manchester, told BuzzFeed News she voted against the motion because she didn't think an election was good for the country at a time of political uncertainty.
"I do feel there's a real issue with voter fatigue," McInnes said. "We had the 2014 by-election in my constituency, and then we had the 2015 general election, and then we had the 2016 referendum, and now we've got the 2017 general election in the same year as the Manchester mayoral election.
"I think there's the potential for the turnout to be very, very low, and while that doesn't make the election invalid, it makes it less representative. I haven't met anyone who welcomes it, people just go 'oh no, not again'."
But McInnes made clear that she would stand again, dismissing social media rumours to the contrary.
The motion passed with well in excess of the 434 votes May needed to get the necessary two-thirds majority under election legislation. More than 100 MPs abstained, including those from the Scottish National Party and more than 40 Labour MPs.
"I don't like abstaining, it makes you look indecisive," McInnes said. "I wanted to make a clear statement that I didn't agree with it."
She added: "I think it's healthy to have an opposition for the government to be held to account. To hold an election to increase your majority so that you can bulldoze more things through – I don't think it's good for democracy. [May] already has enough of a majority to pass Brexit legislation."
Ronnie Campbell, veteran Labour MP for Blyth Valley, said he voted against because he wanted the voting numbers to be put on the record. Without any challengers, the vote would have been waved through "on the nod" without the dozens of abstentions recorded, he said.
"I'll take the Tories [in an election campaign] tomorrow," he said. "Not a problem. Bring it on, I'm ready for it, boyo."