Britain’s ruling Conservatives on Wednesday suffered their second defection to the main opposition Labour party in as many weeks, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke has defected to the Labour Party, and she didn’t hold back in her criticism. She slammed the “broken promises” of Rishi Sunak’s tired and chaotic government.
Just before Sunak’s weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ), Natalie Elphicke, who represents the Dover and Deal constituency in southeast England, announced her defection.
Dover is on the south coast of England, a region heavily affected by the small boat crossings from northern Europe.
Prime Minister’s Questions, Elphicke crossed the floor to sit behind Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. The Conservative benches were bemused and confused, as many hadn’t realized their former colleague was now sitting opposite them. Elphicke accused Sunak’s government of failing to keep borders safe and secure, particularly in light of the ongoing small boat crisis in Dover, which serves as an arrival point for many people crossing the Channel.
This defection is the second blow to the Conservatives in less than two weeks, following Dan Poulter’s departure to Labour. Elphicke’s decision highlights key issues like housing and border security, and it’s clear that she believes the Tories have become a “byword for incompetence and division.”
In her statement emailed by Labour, Elphicke said, “Under Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives have become a byword for incompetence and division. The center ground has been abandoned and key pledges of the 2019 manifesto have been ditched.”
She said Sunak’s government had failed to stop the arrival of small boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel, had failed to build enough homes, and had overseen a rise in homelessness.
“We need to move on from the broken promises of Rishi Sunak’s tired and chaotic government,” she said.
Christian Wakeford switched in 2022 over former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conduct around rule-breaking parties during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Last month, Dan Poulter, who is a former health minister, defected to Labour. He said that the government’s record on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) meant he could no longer represent the Conservatives
Who is Natalie Elphicke, the Dover MP who defected to Labour?
Natalie Elphicke is a British politician who recently defected from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party. Here are some key points about her:
Background and Career
Natalie Elphicke is a solicitor by profession and has been involved in Conservative Party politics for many years. She worked with think tanks and contributed to policy goals.
She was elected as the Conservative MP for Dover in 2019, succeeding her now former husband, Charlie Elphicke, who was convicted of sexual assault in 2020. Prior to her political career, she had a background as a housing and finance lawyer.
Elphicke’s defection to Labour came as a surprise, especially since she was considered to be on the right of the Conservative Party.
She criticized Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government for broken promises and accused him of ousting Boris Johnson in a “coup” in her statement announcing the defection. Key factors in her decision included housing and border security.
Elphicke supported Liz Truss in the 2022 Tory leadership contest. She had been critical of Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on immigration. As the MP for Dover, she emphasized border security due to her constituency’s proximity to the UK’s main port.
She called for a deal to return immigrants crossing the Channel in small boats to France, aligning with Labour’s policy. Additionally, she advocated for a rent freeze and was involved in a cross-party project to build houses for homeless people
Elphicke clashed with footballer Marcus Rashford over free school meals during holidays. She was the vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ports and held ministerial roles in defense, housing, and health.
In 2015, she received an OBE for her services to housing.
