Dover MP Natalie Elphicke announced she was joining Labour just moments before Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
Labour MPs have criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to welcome Tory defector Natalie Elphicke, the second MP to cross the floor in two weeks.
Natalie Elphicke sat behind Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions Ms Elphicke’s former husband and predecessor as MP for Dover, Charlie Elphicke, was convicted in 2020 of sexually assaulting two women and sentenced to two years in prison. A Labour Party spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that the matter had been “dealt with previously”.
They said: “They didn’t need to do this. Now they have a new Labour MP who, unless kept in a sealed room, will be a hostage to fortune between now and the general election. Everything she says and writes will be scrutinised in detail. “Meanwhile, under Keir Starmer, Labour have changed. And I think that change is going to bring a much better future for our country, and that’s why I was so keen to join the Labour Party and play my part in bringing that important future forward.”
Ms Elphicke is standing down at the general election, with former soldier Mike Tapp remaining Labour’s candidate for her seat, renamed Dover and Deal in the boundary changes coming into effect at the general election.
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