The flight of a British Conservative MP to the Labor Party aggravates the Tories' crisis
The defection of Deputy Dan Poulter from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party has deepened the crisis for the Tories, who are facing the upcoming local elections on May 2, where Rishi Sunak’s party could lose a significant number of councillors.
“The Conservatives have transformed into a right-wing nationalist party,” said Poulter when announcing his high-profile switch to Labour. “The values we held during David Cameron’s time were completely different.”
A 45-year-old doctor by profession, Poulter also stated that the deterioration of the National Health System (NHS) under the previous Tory governments prevented him from facing his professional colleagues. He argued that public health is no longer a priority and revealed that he had been considering defecting to the opposition party for several months.
The turncoat MP described Liz Truss’s brief premiership of just 45 days as a “devastating moment” for moderates in the party. Poulter said, “It’s difficult to forget that many of our voters are now worse off as a result of Truss’s mistakes on the economy.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer expressed his excitement about Poulter’s defection, writing on social media, “It’s fantastic to welcome Dr and MP Dan Poulter. It’s time to put an end to the Tory chaos, move forward, and reclaim the future of the United Kingdom. I am grateful to Dan for joining us on this journey.”
Poulter’s departure comes at a critical time for Rishi Sunak, who faces a potential electoral disaster in the May 2 elections in a hundred municipalities in England and Wales. Polls indicate that the Conservative Party could lose half of its councillors to both Labour and Reform UK, the party founded by Nigel Farage, which is gaining support on the right.
Most surveys show Labour with a lead of over 20 points ahead of the upcoming general elections, which are likely to be called in the second half of this year. According to a recent projection by YouGov, the Conservative Party could drop from its current 365 MPs to 169, while Labour could double its seats and exceed 400.
The alarm bells are ringing once more in Downing Street, amidst speculation about the possibility of an early general election this summer, specifically to avoid a potential vote of no confidence against Rishi Sunak and a fresh contest for the Tory leadership.
“The Prime Minister might come to the conclusion that if the situation becomes desperate and shows no signs of improvement, it might be time to call an election [in the summer],” revealed Conservative Party sources to The Observer. “It could serve as a means to discipline his colleagues. Of course, some may want an election now, but the majority do not.”
Sunak is mostly confident that he can hold on at least until October, when he will have been in Downing Street for two years. He hopes for an economic recovery and plans to launch flights to Rwanda, transporting deported immigrants, in order to address the issue of English Channel crossings.