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Tory leaders have put further political pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to try to dissuade other Conservative MPs from jumping ship as the party capitalizes on Labor unrest over Dover MP Natalie Elphicke’s defection. He warns that he wants to strengthen it.
Over the weekend, Elphike faced allegations that she lobbied the attorney general to intervene in her then-husband’s sexual assault trial.
Both Labor and Conservative MPs believe more accusations will be made in the coming weeks as the Conservatives aim to make life harder for Mr Elphicke and Sir Keir Starmer. There is.
A Conservative Party official said. I “Labour hasn’t heard the last of Natalie yet,” he said, while another Conservative MP said there was “further trouble to come” for the 53-year-old.
A senior source said the allegations were “a way to put pressure on the Labor Party and make life very uncomfortable for Natalie”.
Labor MPs have questioned Mr Elphike after allegations that she asked the Lord Chancellor, Sir Robert Buckland, to intervene in the case of her then-husband, Charlie Elphike, who was later convicted of sexual offences. They have expressed concerns to the party leadership about being allowed to join the party. Raid.
Mr Elphike described reports that he had attempted to lobby Mr Backlund as “nonsense”.
Rosie Duffield, another Labor MP for Kent, told BBC News South East that she believed Mr Elphike should be suspended from the Labor Party pending a full investigation into the alleged meddling. Ta.
Ms Duffield said the allegations should be “thoroughly investigated” and if Labor was a Conservative MP “so it should also apply if it was one of our own MPs”. Now it’s obviously Congresswoman Natalie,” he added.
Labor leaders are trying to reduce the number of supporters around the MP, accusing them of “turning a blind eye” to the allegations while he was a Conservative MP.
Shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell told the BBC: “I’m really embarrassed by this because this happened four years ago and he told the newspaper he was very serious about these concerns and he did nothing for four years.” .
“Obviously, Natalie is saying they are nonsense because they are not true and she has no recollection of the meeting.
“If something is as important and as serious as he claims it is, I just don’t understand why it wasn’t brought up at the time.”
Ms Elphike left the Conservative Party to take the Labor seat, shocking Westminster by citing the government’s failure to stop small boats from crossing the Channel as part of the reason.
She is the second defector in recent weeks, following former Conservative minister Dan Poulter last week.
Speculation has grown over the number and identity of those who could switch to the Conservative Party, following reports over the weekend that up to three Conservatives were in talks with Labor about joining the party.
“I think it’s going to be someone from the left of the party,” said one Conservative Party MP on the right. The Elphike thing was a one-off. ”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more people vote before the general election…I think that’s very likely.”
Labour’s shadow leader Lucy Powell MP described Mr Elphike as “courageous”.
In an interview with I “It takes a lot of courage to leave all your friends and colleagues behind and take on all the grief you would receive for walking across the floor of the House of Commons in that way.
“So if Natalie made that decision in her head and thought it through to become a Labor MP, I’m going to judge that for now and take her at face value. is.”
Mr. Elphicke has been contacted for comment.