Guido isn’t sure every Labour MP is the biggest fan of defector Natalie Elphicke. Florence Eshalomi and Lloyd Russell-Moyle have got busy tweeting about how great the current Labour candidate for Dover is. Just in case Natalie tried to stand for Dover at the election…
Rosie Duffield jibes at Starmer: “At least one woman from Kent got a meeting!“. Staffers in Parliament report some Labour MPs’ extreme discomfort when asked about Elphicke. As for the Shadow Cabinet, Rachel Reeves had exactly two choice words for her new colleague in 2022: “F**k off“. Concise…
UPDATE: A Labour source gets in touch over the defection: “What’s the point?“
Natalie Elphicke may have crossed the floor, though has she changed her strongly-held views on Labour and its leader? Guido has had a trawl through some of them…
Over the years the Dover MP:
- Said “same old Labour” is planning on “grabbing more in taxes from the pockets of millions of hardworking British people.“
- Said Labour’s “latest relaunch completely ignored the small boats crisis.“
- Rated Starmer’s PMQs performance as “confused and muddled“, adding that Labour would “take our country backwards on Brexit and break up the United Kingdom.“
- Wrote an op-ed for the Express titled: “Don’t trust Labour on immigration they really want open borders“.
- Slammed Labour as a party “not serious about stopping small boats, tackling criminality, protecting people from the smuggling gangs or saving lives in the Channel.“
- Accused “unpatriotic” Labour of “talking Britain down” for attacking the Tories’ economic record.
- Said that “Labour back fewer and weaker border controls when it comes to illegal arrivals on our shores.“
- Attacked Labour for planning to force taxpayers to “pay asylum seekers nearly £20,000 a year“.
- Called Labour “disgraceful and inexcusable” for trying to pause legislation to protect veterans from prosecution
- Alleged that her new boss Keir Starmer misled the house for claiming that Boris accused the BBC of not being harsh enough on Putin.
- Savaged Sadiq Khan’s “expensive car tax” on struggling residents.
- Celebrated Labour voters switching sides in 2019.
- Attacked Labour for achieving 100 times fewer council homes than the Tories.
- Personally messaging Tom Hunt MP in 2022 that his article bashing Starmer’s time leading CPS and his “failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile” was “very well put”.
Should make for a fun first meeting with her local Labour colleagues…
Eyebrows went very high when Elphicke was spotted sat on the opposition benches. It has now been confirmed. A PMQs stunt executed well…
Elphicke was elected Tory MP for Dover in 2019 after her MP husband Charlie was charged with three counts of sexual harassment. Her statement focusses on housing and Tory failures to deliver on housing manifesto promises. Who will it be next week?
Read her full statement below:
- Kirsten Oswald (SNP)
- Sheryll Murray (Con)
- Emma Lewell-Buck(Lab)
- Edward Leigh (Con)
- Martin Vickers (Con)
- Sarah Dines (Con)
- Chris Law (SNP)
- Stewart Malcolm McDonald (SNP)
- John Penrose (Con)
- John Spellar (Lab)
- Navendu Mishra (Lab)
- Philip Davies (Con)
- Caroline Lucas (Green)
- Shailesh Vara (Con)
- Angela Richardson (Con)
Monty Panesar is ducking out from Galloway’s Workers Party. He was set to contest Ealing, Southall in west London – a Labour seat with a 16,084 majority. He says:
“I realise I need more time to listen, learn and find my political home, one that aligns with my personal and political values.”
In an interview with The Guardian just five days ago, he said proudly: “My focus will be domestic. As I’ve said, I just want to help working class people who have been let down.” The former cricketer distinguished himself recently by claiming that leaving NATO could help curb immigration. Even Monty can’t spin his way out of that one…
Ivor Caplin, a former Labour Defence Minister and current board member of South East Labour, has been tweeting some rather eyebrow-raising stuff recently. In between some more sophisticated commentary on local election results and policy impacts, Caplin has been…encouraging – in a very polite manner, Guido may add – gay porn-stars on Twitter. Here are just a few tweets that Caplin hasn’t defended from the public eye…
Guido did ask whether he’s been hacked…
