Natalie Elphicke: Labor defends welcoming right-wing Conservative MP into the party – UK politics live

Sir Keir Starmer is stuck behind right-wing MP Natalie Elphicke despite a huge backlash from Labor members.

A Labor spokesman said The Guardian: “It is a sign of the progress we have made that people recognize that on some of the key challenges facing the country, the Tories have failed.

“And here is someone who is willing to take the significant step of switching to Keir Starmer’s new Labor Party, and that is something we are very happy to see.

“All these issues have been dealt with previously, both in parliament and in public.

“Natalie can make her own observations on this and has spoken extensively about the case, and I have nothing to add to what she has said on the matter.”

The Edmonton MP was suspended after posting a message on Holocaust Memorial Day referring to other genocides.

After a huge wave of criticism, she tweeted an apology “for any offense caused” by her references.

The Labor Party has now reinstated Osamor on condition that she becomes involved with the local Jewish community.

A spokesperson said: “Kate Osamor’s original actions and failure to apologize were shameful and have tarnished the memory of all those who died in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda and Bosnia, as commemorated by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. It is true that, as we know, she received a formal written warning from the Labor Party.

“The responsibility now falls to her to engage with the local Jewish community in Enfield and the wider community appropriately. Given your track record and previous comments in this area, this will require a sincere and honest approach. Until and unless that happens, the jury is still out.”

MP Tom Pursglove apologized to passengers for Tuesday’s glitch, which led to long queues and delays at UK airports.

He said the incident was caused by “technical problems with the Home Office network” after a cyber attack was ruled out.

Pursglove said: “The relevant teams quickly sprung into action and a technical response was initiated within six minutes. Once the fault was identified, employees worked closely with partners to correct the issue and restore service.

“At this stage, I can assure the Council and the general public that all security checks have been maintained throughout the process. Border security has not been compromised at any time and there is no indication of malicious cyber activity. Police access to operating systems was not affected.

“I sincerely apologize for the interruption that occurred. I can assure the House that the Home Secretary and I will be unwavering in our determination to ensure that every possible lesson is learned, to ensure this does not happen again.”

Labor National Executive Committee member Mish Rahman criticized the party for accepting Natalie Elphicke.

He questioned the former Conservative member’s stance on Rwanda and said it is a “new low” for Starmer.

Natalie Elphicke caused a stir after crossing the room to sit next to Keir Starmer during today’s fiery PMQs.

But not everyone welcomed the former Conservative MP for Dover and Deal with open arms.

Frustrated Labor supporters took to social media to vent their disappointment.

An audio clip of Rachel Reeves appearing to say Natalie Elphicke can “fuck off” for criticizing Marcus Rashford after he missed a penalty for England has resurfaced after the Dover MP defected to Labour.

Elphicke criticized English footballer and social activist Marcus Rashford in 2020 following his crucial penalty error in the Euro 2020 final, messaging colleagues: “They lost – it would be petty to say Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics.”

In the audio clip, Ms Reeves can be heard paraphrasing Ms Elphicke’s comments before saying she could “fuck off”.

The move is part of a larger package of measures in the wake of the Russian government’s “reckless and dangerous activities across Europe,” he said.

• Expel undeclared Russian defense attachés and military intelligence officers.
• Removal of the status of diplomatic facilities from Russian properties.
• Imposing tougher restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas.

Rosie Duffield attacked Sir Keir Starmer for refusing to meet her, despite having met defected Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke at least twice, Archie Mitchell reports.

The Labor leader did not speak to Duffield, who suggested he had repeatedly refused to meet her.

But he met twice with Elphicke, a right-wing Conservative who has now joined the Labor ranks.

After the shock defection, Mrs Duffield said: “Well, at least one woman from Kent got a meeting.”

She also joked that she was now no longer the only Labor MP in Kent.