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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.’
Elphicke has praised Starmer for ‘changing Labour beyond all recognition’ (Picture: PA)
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 harassment.
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.
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.
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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?’
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!’
Her post contains a screenshot of a headline saying: ‘Don’t trust Labour on immigration they really want open borders, warns Natalie Elphicke.’
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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