Natalie Elphicke, a Member of Parliament who switched her allegiance from the Tories to Labour, has expressed regret for her previous remarks in support of her ex-husband following his conviction for sexual assault.
Charlie Elphicke was convicted in 2020 for sexually assaulting two women. Some Labour MPs had expressed unease about Natalie Elphicke’s assertion that he was “an easy target” for false accusations due to his “attractiveness”.
The MP for Dover officially joined the Labour Party on Wednesday. In a statement released on Thursday, she acknowledged that her party switch would draw attention to her ex-husband’s prosecution.
She described the period from 2017 to 2020 as extremely stressful and challenging, as she came to understand more about the man she thought she knew. She acknowledged the ordeal of the women who had to revisit their experiences and testify against him.
Elphicke stated that she has, and continues to, denounce his behaviour towards other women and herself. She affirmed that his prosecution was justified and expressed regret for her previous comments about his victims. She expressed her desire to apologise directly to those victims.
Elphicke emphasised that addressing violence against women and girls is a key mission for the Labour Party, and she is eager to work with her Labour colleagues to address this issue.
Charlie Elphicke, her predecessor as MP for Dover, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2020 for sexual assault.
Following his conviction, Elphicke ended their marriage but supported his unsuccessful appeal. In September 2020, she told the Sun newspaper that he was “an easy target for dirty politics and false allegations” because he was “attractive, and attracted to, women”.
Her past remarks had drawn criticism from some Labour MPs. Jess Phillips, the former shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, suggested that Elphicke should “account for her actions”. She told ITV’s Peston: “I’m all for forgiveness but I do think that that needs some explaining.”
Martin Abrams, a spokesperson for the left-wing campaign group Momentum, argued that Labour’s reaction to Elphicke’s apology demonstrated clear “double standards”. He said, “A hard-right Tory MP apologises months after making offensive comments and faces no consequences. Meanwhile, Britain’s first black woman MP apologises and is suspended for over a year. The Labour Leadership’s commitment to equalities is in ruins. All that matters for Starmer is how right-wing you are.”
