Second UK Conservative lawmaker in two weeks defects to opposition Labour

LONDON: Another lawmaker from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party defected to the opposition Labour Party on Wednesday, the second to do so in less than two weeks, criticising what she called broken promises of a “tired and chaotic government”.

Sunak’s Conservatives trail Labour by about 20 points in opinion polls ahead of a national election expected this year, and the party suffered heavy losses in local elections last week.

Natalie Elphicke, who represents the Dover constituency on the south coast of England, defected just before Sunak made his weekly appearance at prime minister’s questions in parliament.

“Under Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives have become a byword for incompetence and division,” Elphicke said in a statement.

Dan Poulter, a former health minister, defected last month saying the government’s record on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) - one of Sunak’s five priorities for the country - meant he could no longer represent the Conservatives.

Elphicke, a former finance lawyer, won her seat in parliament at the last election after her husband who represented the area was forced to stand down since being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women.