UK Prime Minister Sunak suffers further blow as another Conservative lawmaker defects to Labour
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was accused Wednesday of leading a “chaotic” government as another one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the main opposition Labour Party ahead of a looming general election.
In a stunning move just ahead of weekly prime minister’s questions, Natalie Elphicke crossed the floor of the House of Commons to join the ranks of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, which appears to be heading for power after 14 years.
“We need to move on from the broken promises of Rishi Sunak’s tired and chaotic government,” said Elphicke, who represents the constituency of Dover, which is at the front-line of migrant crossings from France. “Under Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives have become a byword for incompetence and division.”
The defection of Elphicke is particularly surprising as she was widely considered to be on the right of the Conservative Party and has been hugely critical of Labour in the past. But she has recently been increasingly disapproving of the government’s approach to migrant crossings.