Natalie Elphicke: Former Tory MP defects to Labour

Maybe I woke up more cynical this morning, but...

Hoping to save her job, much?

Apparently not, as she's not standing again! Says something about how much Sunak's own MPs hate him that, rather than quietly quitting in a few months, they're knifing him on the way out by defecting.
I think it really shows how far right Labour has shifted that they even accepted the move
- Surely she won't be allowed to stand for Labour at the next election?
- Copying from a comment I made when the last one defected, it's really Labour accepts a free seat in the commons. Being principled is nice but ultimately meaningless if you have no power to enact those principles.

Just a reminder that this woman committed a breach of the code of conduct for mps for trying to influence a trial that her husband was convicted of sexual assault in. That's on top of her being far right.

Apparently, she's the first Labour member of the ERG!

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/starmer-welcomes-right-wing-tory-labour

One Tory MP tweeted today that it was impossible to find a Conservative in the Commons who regarded themselves as further to the right and many were outraged at her hypocrisy.

Succeeding her husband Charlie in the Dover seat after he was convicted of sex offences, she attacked her husband’s victims and was suspended from the Commons because she had “improperly sought to influence judicial proceedings” in relation to the case.

Sounds like a lovely lady.

Her being allowed to join Labour says just as much about them as it does the Tories. Labour being seen as a safe haven for very far right Tories is not a good look.

She's not standing at the next election so they probably just thought it was a free hit on the Tories with basically no consequences in the medium to long term. Fair enough IMO.

Insane how people are defending this just because it harms the Tories. Do labour supporters have no principles at all?

Yes, the principle is 'Labour governments are good, do things that make Labour governments more likely.'

Think about it: the message Sunak is trying this week is: 'voting Labour will lead to chaos'. Yet another Tory MP defecting totally undermines that argument, because it paints the Conservatives, not Labour, as being out of control. That's a win for Labour.

Secondly, what has Labour's message been since Sunak took power? It's been: 'Sunak is weak'. This makes him look weak. Another win.

Sunak is convinced banging on about small boats will save him. A Tory MP quitting because he hasn't stopped the boats undermines one of the few lines he thinks works. That leaves him with nothing to say, making him again look both out of control and weak.

The downside for Labour is that Natalie Elphicke is clearly a nutter. But, that doesn't detract from any of the above. Most people have never heard of her. She's only going to be a Labour MP for a few months. So, overall it's a win for Labour.
- What's the point in a LABOUR government if the party is willing to take the support of people who are proudly anti-worker? What good will it do to be a government of tories with red ties?
It's perfect for Labour. They get to shower Rishi in shit until the general election and then quietly deselect her or move her aside for an actual candidate. Why wouldn't you?
- My main worry is that she's just so mad that she might cause trouble for us even in the limited time she's going to be in the PLP. If I were in Starmer's shoes, I'd have had her sign some sort of contract promising not to speak to the press, at all, ever.
- Principles
  
  Maybe its hard for the current labour party to understand that, but the party of the workers should not welcome hardcore right wingers no matter what the circumstances are

Not really a fan of her being in the Labour party. Think that was quite unnecessary -- Starmer is going to win the next election with or without this woman. And what specifically about the Labour Party's aims and values resonate with her? When you join the Labour party as a member, it's not like subscribing to Amazon Prime. It means you have to actually agree to the aims and values of the Labour Party as described in Clause IV, which begins "The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party," and includes things like "promotes equality of opportunity" and "delivers people from ... prejudice". Does she agree with any of that? I'm very confused as to how a right wing ERG member could possibly want to join a democratic socialist party, let alone agree with its broader aims and values.

The merit of permitting her to cross the aisle and sit as a Labour MP is obvious, but so is the cost. I didn't like it when all those antisemites joined under Corbyn's leadership, and I don't like this now.

After the election she's just going to be an advisor not an MP. So I think that clause may be exempt in that case, I'm not really sure how it works. The Conservatives never seem to be that worried about having "lefty" scientists as advisors, after all they could always fire them if they said controversial things like maybe not all drugs should be class A.

I still don't think it's an appropriate appointment, simply because Labour just doesn't need her. They can implement housing reform without her. Presumably they expected to before she defected so I don't quite see what the point in allowing her in was. But I also don't think it's that big of a problem. I just think it's kind of stupid.

This is an utterly bizarre defection. Going to be a lot of consternation in her local CLP if they're expected to go doorknocking for a prominent Boris Johnson supporter!

EDIT: Per The Guardian, she's not standing again.

noted woman's safety campaigner, rosie duffield, is suddenly very quiet this morning.

insert defection/defecation comment here.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke has defected to the Labour Party, saying the Tories "have become a byword for incompetence and division".

In a statement released just as PMQs was starting, the MP for Dover said the key factors for her decision were housing and border security.

She accused Rishi Sunak of "broken promises" and abandoning key pledges.

It is the second defection to Labour for Rishi Sunak in less than two weeks, after Dan Poulter also quit the Tories.

The original article contains 80 words, the summary contains 80 words. Saved 0%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

The fact that Labour are letting people like this in is hilarious. A vote for Starmer's Labour is a vote for Conservative rule, albeit with a tint of red.

Well, given that she's not running again and there's no Labour approval process for just saying shit, you're just talking to talk. Good job not letting even a bad opportunity to soapbox go to waste!
- Sir Keir welcomed her to the party, asking 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 is he wrong? She will still be a party member, she will likely still hold the housing advisory position she's been given and be out on the streets as a face of labour campaigning. No right wingers should be welcome in labour, it says 'democratic socialist' on the membership card for a reason