British Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke moved to the ranks of the Labor Party on Wednesday, marking the second defection in less than two weeks from the majority and a new setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after difficult local elections.
The split comes months before the legislative elections, while opinion polls show that the Labor Party is largely ahead at the expense of the Conservative Party, which has been in power for 14 years.
Natalie Elphick, MP for Port Dover (south), moved from the Conservative Party seats to the Labor Party seats, minutes before the start of the weekly question session addressed to the Prime Minister in Parliament.
In a statement, she criticized “the broken promises of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s tired and chaotic government,” adding that “the decisive factors were housing and the security of our borders.”
Dover District is on the front line of the illegal immigration issue; It overlooks the English Channel off the French coast. The port of Dover is one of the arrival points for migrants after crossing the English Channel, which is fraught with danger.
Leader of the opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, asked in Parliament after this new split, “What is the interest of this bankrupt government that is mired in crisis?”
At the end of April, Conservative MP Dan Poulter, the former health secretary, joined the Labor Party, justifying his decision by the problems faced by the Public Health Service.
Keir Starmer said: “A week ago, a Conservative MP, who is a doctor, said the Prime Minister could not be trusted on the NHS and joined the Labor Party.”
He added: “The following week, the Conservative MP for Dover, facing the illegal immigration crisis, said we cannot trust the Prime Minister on our borders and joined the Labor Party.”
Reducing waiting lists in the Public Health Service and stopping the flow of migrants across the English Channel are among Rishi Sunak’s priorities.
Sunak has not yet announced the date of the legislative elections expected in the fall.
The Conservative Party lost many local council seats during last week’s elections.