Who is Natalie Elphicke, the latest Tory MP to defect to Labour?
Tory MP Natalie Elphicke has become the latest Conservative to defect to Labour, hitting out at the ‘broken promises of Rishi Sunak’s tired and chaotic government’.
The Dover MP crossed the floor in the Commons just moments before the start of Prime Minister’s Questions.
She said: ‘I have carefully considered this decision. The change has been dramatic and cannot be ignored.
‘For me key deciding factors have been housing and the safety and security of our borders.’
Who is Natalie Elphicke?
Elphicke was elected MP for Dover in 2019, having taken over the seat from her then-husband, Charles, after he was suspended from the Conservative Party following charges of sexual assault.
In 2021, she was one of several Tory MPs who were suspended from the Commons and forced to apologise after they were found attempting to influence a judge presiding over Mr Elphicke’s trial.
A Brexit supporter who backed Penny Mordaunt in the 2022 Conservative leadership election, Elphicke praised the Labour Party for ‘changing beyond all recognition’ since she first took office.
What are her views?
Ms Elphicke has consistently voiced hard-right, anti-immigrant rhethoric since taking office, and has been a vocal supporter of Rishi Sunak’s flagship ‘Stop the Boats’ policy.
Since her election in 2019 she has developed a reputation as one of the most hawkish MPs in parliament over the issue of border crossings, voting consistently for the government’s controversial plan to permanently deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
In 2021 she said it is ‘vital that we bring the treacherous small boats crossings to an end once and for all’, and last year claimed would-be migrants crossing the channel used razor blades to delibarately damage their fingers to avoid identification.
In 2020 she voted in favour of making abortion a criminal offence in Northern Ireland, and previously criticised footballer Marcus Rashford for spending too much time ‘playing politics’ following his campaign to provide children with free school meals.
Why did she defect?
In a statement she said: ‘When I was elected in 2019, the Conservative party occupied the centre ground of British politics. The party was about building the future and making the most of the opportunities that lay ahead for our country.
‘Since then, many things have changed. The elected prime minister was ousted in a coup led by the unelected Rishi Sunak.
‘Under Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives have become a byword for incompetence and division. The centre ground has been abandoned and key pledges of the 2019 manifesto have been ditched.’
‘Meanwhile the Labour party has changed out of all recognition. Since 2019, it has moved on from Jeremy Corbyn and now, under Keir Starmer, occupies the centre ground of British politics. It has accepted Brexit and its economic policies and defence policies are responsible and can be trusted.
She added: ‘From small boats to biosecurity, Rishi Sunak’s government is failing to keep our borders safe and secure. Lives are being lost in the English Channel while small boat arrivals are once again at record levels.
‘It’s clear they have failed to keep our borders secure and cannot be trusted.’
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked Mr Sunak ‘what is the point of this failed Government staggering on’ when ‘the Tory MP for Dover on the front line of small boats crisis says the Prime Minister cannot be trusted with our borders and joins Labour?’
How have other MP’s reacted?
The defection has prompted anger from Tory MPs, with former minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns tweeting: ‘@NatalieElphicke you were a centre right Conservative, Labour want to give asylum to 50,000 plus people.
‘I thought you had more conviction than to join the lefty labour lot you despised so much!’
Conservative MP and Transport Minister Huw Merriman says he is ‘absolutely staggered’ by the news.
Speaking to the BBC, he says: ‘I’ve seen some sights in this place but the lack of scruples on this one is a new bar that Natalie has created.’
Merriman says Elphicke was elected on the ‘back of Brexit, on the back of controlling small boats – that’s something she stood for – and been vociferous against Labour for in terms of their refusal to back it and now she sits with them’.
Northern Ireland minister and hardline Tory Brexiteer Steve Baker said he didn’t believe there was any Conservative more right-wing than Elphicke.
He tweeted: ‘I have been searching in vain for a Conservative MP who thinks themself to the right of Natalie Elphicke.
‘One just quipped, “I didn’t realise there was any room to her right.”’
What have Labour said about the defection?
A Labour Party spokeman said they are ‘very happy’ to welcome Elphicke despite the controversy involving her husband’s court case, which they say has been ‘dealt with previously, both in Parliament and in public.
When asked if all Labour MPs were happy to have her as a new colleague, the spokesperson said: ‘It’s a sign of the progress that we’ve made that people recognise that on some of the key challenges facing the country, the Tories have failed.
‘And here is someone who is willing to make the significant step of switching across to Keir Starmer’s changed Labour party, and that’s something we’re very happy to see.’
Her defection comes just weeks after fellow Tory MP Dan Poulter also crossed the floor, citing concern for the NHS.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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