BIRKENHEAD MP Mick Whitley has joined a growing number of Labour figures in criticising Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to welcome Tory defector Natalie Elphicke into the Party. 

Ms Elphicke quit the Conservatives just moments before Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, hitting out at Rishi Sunak’s “tired and chaotic government” and accusing the Prime Minister of failing to deliver on his promise to “stop the boats”.

But her debut as a Labour MP has not been welcomed by all of her new colleagues, with some raising concerns about comments she made after her then-husband was convicted of sexual assault.

One Labour MP told the PA news agency: “I think it’s utterly disgraceful.

“She’s totally right-wing and supported her husband when he sexually assaulted women.

“There are Labour MPs still suspended and we’re welcoming MPs who have voted to push people into poverty. I despair.”

Another MP said she had been left in tears by the news of Ms Elphicke’s defection.

Ms Elphicke’s former husband and predecessor as MP for Dover, Charlie Elphicke, was convicted in 2020 of sexually assaulting two women and sentenced to two years in prison.

Although she ended the marriage after his conviction, Ms Elphicke supported his unsuccessful appeal and described the verdict as “a terrible miscarriage of justice”, saying Elphicke had been “attractive, and attracted to women” and “an easy target for dirty politics and false allegations”.

She was subsequently suspended from the Commons for one day alongside two other MPs after trying to influence a judge who was deciding whether to release character references they had written for Elphicke.

The branch of the GMB union that represents MPs’ staff said it had requested a meeting with Labour whips “regarding vetting of sitting MPs and candidates”, with branch chairwoman Jenny Symmons describing the decision as “really, really poor and disappointing”.

Writing on X, Mr Whitley, said: "Natalie Elphicke’s values are not the values of the labour movement. It’s outrageous that she should be allowed to join the Labour benches while principled socialists like Dianne Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn still haven’t had the whip restored."

Despite the backlash, the defection was still another blow for the Prime Minister, after MP Dan Poulter’s decision to leave the Tories for Labour in April and the dismal local election results for the Conservatives last week.