Labour’s chair has defended the UK opposition party’s decision to admit Conservative defector Natalie Elphicke, who switched to the other side of the Commons yesterday after denouncing the current government’s “incompetence”.
Anneliese Dodds said that the admission of the rightwing MP for Dover, which has left some Labour party members baffled, is subject to parliamentary process.
“[Elphicke] has realised that in order to put her constituents and country first, she cannot continue backing a party that is . . . divided and is incompetent, in her words, and one that cannot deliver on issues like migration, security and housing,” Dodds told the BBC’s Today programme on Thursday. “That’s why she’s taken this decision.”
Elphicke’s surprise defection follows that of fellow Tory MP Dan Poulter, who decided to join Labour last month.
