Turncoat once Labour’s fiercest critic
DEFECTOR Natalie Elphicke has a history of clashes with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Having joined forces with her former arch enemy, here are some of the occasions she’s been at odds with her new party.
IMMIGRATION
Natalie Elphicke wrote a column for the Express less than a month ago pointing out that “at every opportunity so far, Labour have voted against the Stop the Boats Bill”.
She added: “Labour’s got no plan of their own to tackle illegal immigration, they simply do not want to.”
The Express can reveal that in March Ms Elphicke wrote a note to the Tory whips describing Labour’s opposition to Rwanda as “nonsense”. She claimed that under Labour’s proposals, terrorist suspects would have routes to stay in the UK.
MARCUS RASHFORD
In 2021 Ms Elphicke sparked a row when she said Marcus Rashford should have spent “more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics” after he missed a penalty for England.
She later made a grovelling climbdown, but not before Labour MP Charlotte Nichols tweeted: “When Natalie Elphicke has fed as many hungry children as Marcus Rashford, or done as much to inspire the nation, then she can slag him off all she likes.”
Rachel Reeves told a podcast: “The MP for Dover, Natalie Elphicke – when Rashford missed a penalty – her tweet was, ‘If he spent more time on football rather than trying to get free school meals for our kids
maybe he’d be better’? F*** off!” Yesterday a member of Labour’s ruling body said it was an “absolute disgrace and a new low for Starmer”, asking if Labour is now a “safe haven for any defecting racist Tory MP who want to join in with the abuse of black England players after missing a penalty?”
CHARLIE ELPHICKE
Ms Elphicke defended her ex-MP husband Charlie after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women and jailed for two years in 2020.
In an interview with The Sun, Ms Elphicke argued he had merely been “attractive, and attracted to, women” and that made him
“an easy target for dirty politics and false allegations”. She claimed he had been the victim of a “terrible miscarriage of justice”. Ms Elphicke was suspended from the Commons and told to apologise in 2021 for being found to have tried to influence a judge presiding over Mr Elphicke’s trial. The couple divorced that year.
STARMER ‘MISLED COMMONS’
In 2022 Ms Elphicke accused Keir Starmer of knowingly misleading the Commons, a grave rule breach, when he claimed the PM has accused the BBC of “not being critical enough of Putin”. She tweeted: “Keir Starmer was wholly inaccurate and I believe he has misled the House of Commons.”
FIRE AND REHIRE
Ms Elphicke was heckled by P&O protesters in 2022 when she joined them to support their demands that the ferry operator reverse its decision to sack 800 seafarers. She was surrounded by protesters who chanted “shame on you”, “you voted for fire and rehire”.
TAX
In 2022 she said Labour’s solution to the cost of living was “grabbing more in taxes from the pockets of millions of hardworking British people”.
BULLYING OF ROSIE DUFFIELD
Ms Elphicke said it was “appalling” Keir Starmer had “failed to address the bullying and intimidation” of Labour MP Rosie Duffield in 2021.
She told the Commons: “Bullying and physical intimidation is wrong whoever it is done to and we should call it out. That is why it is appalling that the Labour leadership has failed to address the bullying and intimidation of the hon Member for Canterbury.”
CAR TAX
In 2023 she criticised “Labour London’s expensive car tax imposed on Kent residents travelling to work or hospital appointments in our capital city”.