Labour would make Britain ‘asylum capital of the world’, says Cleverly

James Cleverly claimed a Labour government would turn the UK into the “asylum capital of the world” after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his plan to stop small boat Channel crossings.

Sir Keir used a speech in Dover today to announce that Labour would create a new Border Security Command unit which would treat people smugglers the same as terrorists.

He also said a Labour government would scrap Rwanda migrant deportation flights “straight away”, claiming the policy was an “absolute waste of money”.

But Mr Cleverly, the Home Secretary, hit back and claimed Labour would “create a haven for criminal gangs, not stop them”.

He said: “Labour have no plan to stop the boats. Labour have an illegal immigration amnesty, Labour blocked the deportation of violent sexual offenders and Labour voted over 130 times against tougher legislation to stop the boats.

“They will create a haven for criminal gangs, not stop them.”

He added: “Labour’s announcement would make the UK the asylum capital of the world.”

You can follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section here. 

04:00 PM BST

That is all for today...

Thank you for joining me for today’s politics live blog.

I will be back on Monday morning.

03:28 PM BST

Telegraph readers weigh in on Starmer’s small boats plan

Sir Keir Starmer’s new plan to stop small boat Channel crossings has dominated the day in Westminster.

Labour claim its measures would address the issue once-and-for-all but the Tories insist the Opposition’s latest blueprint is nothing more than a reheat of old ideas.

Telegraph readers have offered their verdict in the comments section of today’s politics live blog:

03:09 PM BST

ECHR will not stop us tackling illegal migration, says Justice Secretary

International law including the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) must not prevent countries from tackling illegal migration, the Justice Secretary has said.

In a speech at the G7 justice ministers’ meeting in Vienna, Alex Chalk said laws and treaties should be “tailored to reality” so that countries could respond to challenges of the 21st century such as the international migration crisis.

You can read the full story here. 

02:44 PM BST

Poll: Tories lose ground after local elections as Labour lead hits 20 points

Labour’s poll lead over the Tories has increased to 20 points after the Conservatives lost ground in the wake of the local elections, according to a new survey by Survation.

A poll conducted between May 9-10 put Labour on 44 per cent and the Tories on 24 per cent.

The Conservatives were down by two points when compared to the company’s previous survey conducted between April 23-25. Labour support was unchanged.

02:27 PM BST

John Swinney holds first Cabinet meeting at Bute House

John Swinney, the new First Minister of Scotland, chaired his first Cabinet meeting today.

Mr Swinney was officially sworn in as Scotland’s seventh first minister on Wednesday this week and appointed his Cabinet later the same day.

This morning he welcomed his new top team to Bute House in Scotland’s capital.

Mr Swinney said: “Today, my colleagues and I embark on a new chapter as we collectively work to build a better, brighter future for the people of Scotland.

“It is my greatest honour to lead us forward on that journey – one that will drive economic growth, tackle the climate crisis and eradicate the scourge of child poverty in our country once and for all.”

02:18 PM BST

Starmer: ‘Labour will bust the backlogs’

01:45 PM BST

Dominic Cummings unveils plans for new party to replace the Tories

Dominic Cummings has unveiled plans for a new “Start-Up Party” which he claims could replace the Conservatives.

Speaking to the i paper in his first interview since leaving Downing Street in 2020, Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser said the new party could capitalise on the expected collapse in the Tory vote at the next general election.

You can read the full story here. 

01:33 PM BST

New treaty with France needed to stop small boat crossings, says ex-Border Agency chief

Small boat Channel crossings will not be stopped without a new agreement between the UK and France allowing the vessels to be turned back, a former head of the UK Border Agency said.

Rob Whiteman, who held the role between 2011-2013, told the BBC World At One programme that international agreements were the key to tackling illegal migration.

He said: “I think border crossings will only really be sorted out by an international agreement with France.

“Like we had the Le Touquet Agreement, we need a new treaty with France in order to agree that we can patrol the waters and turn boats back and then we need to work with Europol and all other international law enforcement agencies because as one of your guests said earlier this is about tackling organised crime on the routes that come through Turkey and other parts of Europe.

“And in truth that is how it will be dealt with and I can’t stress enough the importance of the Home Office and the UK Government having serious international agreements as being the way forward here.”

12:57 PM BST

Labour’s small boats plan already ‘holed’, says Tory MP

Sir Michael Fabricant, a Tory MP, claimed Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to stop the boats had already been “holed”.

He said Labour was not suggesting anything new but was instead putting forward proposals which had already been tried but failed.

He told Sky News: “Frankly the announcement from Keir Starmer is absolutely holed.

“The one thing that does work, or seems to be working before a single flight has taken off, is the Rwanda deterrent and that is the one thing he is going to scrap.”

12:46 PM BST

Swinney abandons Sturgeon’s controversial gender self-ID plans

John Swinney has formally abandoned Nicola Sturgeon’s controversial gender self-ID plans after admitting that they could not be implemented.

The new First Minister said he would not try to revive the Gender Recognition Reform Bill because the “reality of the situation” was that the courts had ruled against it.

You can read the full story here. 

12:28 PM BST

Labour extends poll lead over Tories after local elections

Labour has extended its poll lead over the Tories in the wake of last week’s local election results, according to a new survey by Techne UK.

A poll conducted between May 8-9 put Labour on 45 per cent and the Conservatives on 21 per cent, a lead of 24 points.

Labour support was up by one point while backing for the Tories was down by one point when compared to the company’s previous poll, conducted on May 3, the day after people voted at the local elections.

The latest poll put the Lib Dems up one point to 11 per cent and Reform UK down one point to 12 per cent.

12:09 PM BST

Downing Street condemns ‘outrageous’ Eurovision protests

The Prime Minister believes protests against Israel taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest are “wrong” and some of the scenes have been “outrageous”, Downing Street said.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Malmo, Sweden, yesterday to protest against Israel’s participation in the competition as the conflict in Gaza continues.

There have been some calls for a boycott of Eurovision in response to Israel’s entry. A spokesman for Rishi Sunak said that the Prime Minister condemned the protests and described the calls for a boycott as “unfair”.

Asked about Mr Sunak’s views on the protests, a No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister thinks that these protests are wrong and some of the scenes we’ve seen have been outrageous. 

“Just as we share the deep concern over the humanitarian crisis of Gaza, and we raise this regularly, when it comes to this debate around Eurovision and these protests, we are incredibly mindful of the Israelis and also Jewish people around the world who love Eurovision and their feelings seeing this in the aftermath of what was an atrocious terror attack and while hostages are still being held by Hamas, and he would urge people to consider this when repeating these unfair calls for a boycott.”

She added that while there was “always the right for peaceful protest”, “in terms of the Prime Minister’s opinion at the scenes and whether it is right to call for a boycott of their act. No, he thinks that’s wrong”.

12:03 PM BST

Pictured: Starmer talks to Elphicke during visit to Dover

11:54 AM BST

Small boat arrivals for 2024 climb above 9,000

More than 200 people crossed the Channel in small boats yesterday, according to provisional data just published by the Home Office.

Some 211 people were detected making the crossing.

The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 9,037.

This is 35 per cent higher than the total at this point last year, which was 6,691, and 16 per cent higher than the total at this stage in 2022, which was 7,801.

11:51 AM BST

Sunak defends net zero approach

Rishi Sunak has defended the Government’s net zero policies, saying ministers will hit green targets in “a more pragmatic way” because of changes he introduced.

The Prime Minister acknowledged he had received “a lot of flak” for his policies but said it was “the right thing for our country”. He announced in September last year that he was watering down some of the Government’s green measures.

Mr Sunak fielded questions from business staff during a Q&A at a company in Oxfordshire this morning.

Asked how the Government would monitor companies on environmental targets, he said: “I said I’m going to make a change here, we’re going to do this differently.

“I’m not going to force you to spend £5,000, £10,000, £15,000 prematurely ripping out stuff, changing things, changing cars and boilers… and instead, we’ll get there in a more pragmatic way.”

Mr Sunak added: “I think that’s the right thing for the country, and that will be my approach to companies as well.”

11:37 AM BST

James Cleverly: Labour would make UK ‘asylum capital of the world’

James Cleverly claimed a Labour government would make the UK the “asylum capital of the world”.

The Home Secretary said: “Labour have no plan to stop the boats. Labour have an illegal immigration amnesty, Labour blocked the deportation of violent sexual offenders and Labour voted over 130 times against tougher legislation to stop the boats.

“They will create a haven for criminal gangs, not stop them. Even Labour MPs are saying Labour can’t be trusted to stop the boats which shows you nothing will change.

“If people can apply for asylum from outside the UK then unlimited claims can be made, many of which will have to be accepted under the law and even then, many of those declined will then get on a small boat anyway.

“Labour’s announcement would make the UK the asylum capital of the world.”

11:25 AM BST

Sunak: ‘Things are starting to feel better’

Rishi Sunak has insisted that “things are starting to feel better” and that confidence in the economy is growing.

Speaking during a visit to a business in Oxfordshire this morning, the Prime Minister said: “After undoubtedly a difficult couple of years that the country has had, actually now things are starting to feel better.

“Confidence is returning to the economy and the country, and I hope that you’re starting to feel that too.”

He was joined at the visit by Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, and Conservative MP for Witney Robert Courts.

11:20 AM BST

List would be long if all unhappy Tories wanted to defect, jokes Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer was asked if, following the defection of Natalie Elphicke, he was willing to extend an invite to other “unhappy Tories” to switch to Labour.

He joked: “That would be a long list.”

11:12 AM BST

Starmer suggests Labour would seek migrant returns deal with EU

Sir Keir Starmer suggested a Labour government would seek to strike a migrant returns deal with the European Union.

He said: “It is perfectly possible to return people to country of origin rather than the EU without an agreement with the EU and without an agreement other than basic consent from the country that is being dealt with and we must never lose sight of that.

“We obviously lost the Dublin Agreement and that needs to be replaced in some shape or form, I would accept that, so there can be returns.

“But let me be absolutely clear that does not mean, because the Tories will jump in and say that means joining the EU scheme, that doesn’t mean joining the EU scheme, we are not going to do that, we are not a member of the EU and I am not interested in joining that scheme.”

11:04 AM BST

ECHR not stopping UK from tackling small boat crossings, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer said the European Convention on Human Rights was not stopping the UK from dealing with the small boats crisis as he suggested it did not need to be reformed.

He said the problem was the Government’s failure to process asylum claims.

The Labour leader was asked if he would oppose European-wide reform of the ECHR.

He replied: “I think it is a mistake to think that it is the international instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights that are the problem. I don’t.

“By the end of this year there will be 100,000 people who have arrived whose claims can’t be processed.

“That means they can’t be returned. That is not the European Convention that says that, that is because the Government is not processing the claims.”

He added: “To get 100,000 people to Rwanda on the basis of the scheme as it now is would take 300 years and that assumes nobody comes in those 300 years to add to the 100,000. That is how broken the system is.”

10:50 AM BST

Labour government would scrap Rwanda scheme ‘straight away’, says Starmer

A Labour government would scrap Rwanda migrant deportation flights “straight away”, Sir Keir Starmer said.

He told reporters as he answered questions after his speech in Dover: “We will cancel the scheme. We don’t think the policy is going to work and we think it costs a fortune.

“So of course that means we won’t operate the scheme at all. I am not interested. It is a gimmick. I am not going to flog a dead horse.”

He added: “We are going to get rid of the policy straight away. I am not going to continue a policy I don’t think is going to work that is going to cost a fortune.”

10:45 AM BST

Starmer: Farage would not want to join Labour

Sir Keir Starmer was asked if Nigel Farage would be welcome in his Labour Party following the defection of Natalie Elphicke.

He said: “I am very pleased to welcome Natalie to the Labour Party.”

Sir Keir said he wanted Labour to be “a place where reasonably minded people, whichever way they voted in the past, feel that they can join with our project to change the country for the better”.

He said he wanted Labour to be “less tribal in the pursuit of a better country”.

Asked again if Mr Farage would be welcome to join, he said: “I think that is the last person who would want to join this Labour Party. A list of names doesn’t help anyone but Nigel Farage won’t want to join the Labour Party.”

10:38 AM BST

Starmer suggests he would scrap Rwanda flights on day one in power

Sir Keir Starmer is now answering questions from the media.

He was asked what his target number would be for Channel crossings by the end of 2026 if Labour win power. He was also asked to give a commitment to stopping Rwanda flights on day one of a Labour government.

Sir Keir dodged the question on what his target would be for crossing numbers.

He just said: “On the numbers, we have got to get those numbers down materially.”

He suggested a Labour government would scrap the Rwanda scheme on day one as he said: “We will scrap the Rwanda scheme... and that means ending the scheme absolutely, flights and all. It is not going to work. It is an absolute waste of money. It is a gimmick not a solution.”

10:33 AM BST

Starmer vows to ‘turn the page’ on Westminster’s ‘do nothing culture’

The Labour leader said he would bring in a new type of politics if he becomes prime minister after the next general election.

Speaking in Dover, Sir Keir Starmer said he “will turn the page on Westminster’s talk tough, do nothing culture, not just on small boats, not just on migration, on everything”.

10:31 AM BST

Labour small boats plans will be ‘fiercely resisted’, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer said that clearing the UK’s asylum backlog was the “only path to real deterrence”.

He said a Labour government would “rebuild our broken asylum system”.

The Labour leader said he expected his plans to be “fiercely resisted” but he believed voters supported having a “rules-based asylum system”.

He accused the Tories of “rank incompetence”.

10:28 AM BST

Starmer vows to make UK shores ‘hostile territory’ for people smugglers

Sir Keir Starmer said “vile people smugglers are no better than terrorists”.

He said they are a “threat to national security” and as well as being a “threat to life”.

The Labour leader said the UK should be working with its European partners to seize the boats which are being used for the migrant Channel crossings.

Speaking in Dover, Sir Keir said: “That is my message to the smugglers. These shores will become hostile territory for you. We will find you, we will stop you, we will protect your victims.

“With the Border Security Command we will secure Britain’s borders.”

10:20 AM BST

UK border system ‘like a sieve’, claims Starmer

The UK’s border system is “like a sieve”, Sir Keir Starmer claimed as he delivered a speech in Dover on stopping small boat Channel crossings.

Instead of fixing problems with that system the Tories are instead opting to throw “good money after bad” on the Rwanda scheme, he claimed.

The Labour leader vowed to “replace the Rwanda policy permanently” if his party win the next general election.

His first policy announcement was to set up a new Border Security Command tasked with treating people smugglers in the same way as terrorists.

Sir Keir insisted this would be an “elite force, not a Cinderella service”.

10:16 AM BST

Rwanda plan is a ‘gimmick’ and it ‘will not work’, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer said politicians needed to move away from “gesture politics” on border security.

The Labour leader referred to past policies apparently floated by Tory governments to stop small boat crossings like using wave machines and jet skis.

“The list [of ideas] is endless, yet here we are, over 8,000 people have made the perilous journey across the Channel in small boats this year,” he said.

He described the Government’s Rwanda plan as the “latest gimmick” and said it “will not work”.

10:13 AM BST

Starmer: ‘Our borders must be secured’

Sir Keir Starmer labelled people smuggling a “vile trade that preys on the desperation and the hope it finds in its victims”.

The Labour leader recalled a visit to an asylum camp in France 2016 and said that criminal gangs were “using it as a job centre for modern slavery”.

He said that while that camp had now gone, the “smuggling business remains”.

Sir Keir said that “these gangs must be stopped” and “our borders must be secured”.

10:09 AM BST

Kent is ‘turning red’, claims Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer told Natalie Elphicke it was “so great to have you on board” as he started his speech on tackling the small boats crisis.

Speaking in Dover, Kent, the Labour leader said that it was a “part of the world that the Tories are increasingly unfamiliar with”.

He said local election results last week had shown the county is “turning red”.

10:04 AM BST

Elphicke: Sunak ‘cannot be trusted’ on border security

Natalie Elphicke is introducing Sir Keir Starmer at his speech in Dover.

The new Labour MP said she had defected from the Tories because she wanted to be “part of the change our country needs”.

She said the Tories under Rishi Sunak had become a “byword for incompetence and division”.

She claimed that Mr Sunak had “failed to keep our borders secure and cannot be trusted”.

09:59 AM BST

Starmer speech on small boats crisis set to start

Sir Keir Starmer’s speech on his plan to tackle the small boats crisis is set to get underway in Dover.

I will do my best to guide you through the key announcements.

09:45 AM BST

Boot out Tories to ‘kick-start the economy’, say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats claimed the “only way to kick-start the economy” is to “boot” the Conservative Party out of office.

Responding to today’s GDP figures, Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems’ Treasury spokesperson, said: “This Conservative government crashed the economy and sent mortgages spiralling. If Rishi Sunak thinks hard-hit households will be celebrating today, he is even more out of touch than we thought.

“Families hit with plummeting living standards and a cost-of-living crisis have had enough of this out of touch Conservative government.

“The only way to kickstart the economy is to boot this Conservative government out of office. It’s time for a general election.”

09:22 AM BST

No time for a Tory ‘victory lap’ on economy, says Reeves

Rachel Reeves warned the Tories against taking a “victory lap” after the UK economy returned to growth in the first quarter of 2024.

The shadow chancellor said: “This is no time for Conservative ministers to be doing a victory lap and telling the British people that they have never had it so good. The economy is still £300 smaller per person than when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister.

“After 14 years of economic chaos, working people are still worse off. Prices are still significantly higher in the shops, families are paying hundreds of pounds more on monthly mortgage bills, and the economy is forecast to grow by just one per cent next year.

“It’s time for change. Only Labour has a long-term plan to grow the economy, create jobs and make working people better off.”

09:06 AM BST

Swinney: Scottish independence could be delivered within five years

John Swinney claimed Scottish independence could be achieved within the next five years.

The new SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland said there was “work to do” to secure a “compelling” level of support for breaking away from the rest of the UK.

Asked if independence could be delivered within five years, Mr Swinney told Sky News: “I think independence can be delivered in that time scale because the arguments for it are compelling.

“If we look at two of the biggest issues we face as a country in Scotland, the effect of the cost of living and the implications of Brexit, both of those major strategic factors that are doing severe economic and social damage to Scotland are because of bad decisions taken in Westminster.

“And independence is the answer to that. But I acknowledge that we have got work to do to build greater support for independence to make that support level compelling within Scotland and that is what my leadership will all be about.”

08:58 AM BST

‘No evidence’ Rwanda scheme will be a deterrent, claims Cooper

The shadow home secretary has criticised the Government’s Rwanda scheme for being expensive and limited in its scope.

Yvette Cooper told GB News: “The Rwanda scheme is only likely to cover a few hundred people, and more people arrived in the last week than that. We’ve seen nearly 9,000 people arrive this year already on small boats.”

Ms Cooper added there was “no evidence” that the scheme was a deterrent, and the plan had proved ineffective and expensive.

08:46 AM BST

Hunt claims some Tory MPs are ‘losing their nerve’

Jeremy Hunt claimed some Tory MPs were “losing their nerve” because of the Conservative Party’s position in the opinion polls.

The Tories suffered a bruising set of local election results last week and then on Wednesday were rocked by the defection of Natalie Elphicke to Labour.

Ben Houchen, the Tory Mayor of the Tees Valley, warned yesterday that the “public do not vote for parties who are not united” as he called for an end to infighting.

Lord Houchen’s comments and Ms Elphicke’s defection were raised with Mr Hunt this morning during an interview with the BBC as he was then asked if he was worried about holding onto his own seat of South West Surrey.

The Chancellor replied: “My seat is a marginal seat and I will fight it very hard and put everything I can into winning it. But let me just say, in terms of Ben Houchen what he said was divided parties don’t win elections and we need to pull together as a Conservative Party.

“I think that when you see we are behind in the polls, unfortunately some colleagues do lose their nerve.

“But the vast majority of parliamentary colleagues, they understand a very simple truth which is that people vote for Conservative governments because they trust us to take tough and difficult decisions in the long term interests of the economy. They can see that we have done that.”

08:33 AM BST

Yvette Cooper only found out about Elphicke defection when it happened

Yvette Cooper revealed she only found out about Natalie Elphicke’s defection to the Labour Party when it happened on Wednesday.

Asked when she was told about the move, the shadow home secretary told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “When she did join on Wednesday.”

Asked if she was told minutes before the defection at the start of PMQs, Ms Cooper said: “No, at the time.”

Ms Cooper added: “We want people to be switching to Labour, either coming back to Labour if they have voted in the past, or coming to Labour for the first time because our country so badly needs change we cannot carry on with this Conservative chaos…”

08:20 AM BST

Starmer will use terror laws to tackle migrant crossings

Sir Keir Starmer will vow in a speech this morning to use terror laws to tackle the small boats crisis, as part of plans to work more closely with Europe to combat people smugglers.

The Labour leader will announce plans to scrap the Rwanda scheme and use the money to create a border security command with new powers to treat people smugglers like terrorists.

You can read the full story here. 

08:09 AM BST

Hunt: No conflict between cutting taxes and increasing defence spending

Jeremy Hunt insisted there is no conflict between calls for tax cuts and increased defence spending.

Asked which was the priority of the Cabinet, the Chancellor told Sky News: “There isn’t a conflict between the two. I have had numerous discussions with admirals and generals.

“When I was foreign secretary I argued we should increase defence spending. In various Conservative Party leadership contests I have argued that as well.

“But what every person in the armed services understands is you can only do that with a strong economy and because of the difficult decisions we have taken to put the economy back on its feet after the pandemic and the energy shock we are now in a position where we can responsibly afford to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.”

08:00 AM BST

No specific target for reducing tax burden, says Hunt

Jeremy Hunt would not give a target for reducing the nation’s tax burden but insisted he does want it to fall.

The Chancellor was told that the burden is currently at about 37 per cent of national income and was asked where it would be after another five years of the Tories being in power.

He said: “I can’t answer that question. There are an awful lot of factors that could influence that.”

Asked if he had a target, Mr Hunt told Sky News: “I have said we want to bring down the tax burden, we want to bring down over time, when it is affordable and responsible, we want to bring down employees’ National Insurance to zero.

“That is a very clear aspiration and I think it illustrates the fundamental dividing line in British politics which is that we don’t think that we should continue to have taxes at their current levels and we will make the difficult choices to make sure we can bring down taxes.”

07:52 AM BST

Chancellor unable to say when NI will be scrapped

Jeremy Hunt was unable to say when the Tories will deliver on their long-term ambition of scrapping National Insurance.

Asked to put a date on delivering the pledge, the Chancellor told Sky News: “We haven’t set a date because we don’t know the answer to that question because we have said we will only do it when it is affordable and when we can do so without impacting on public services.”

07:47 AM BST

People don’t vote for Tories ‘for us to do popular things’, says Hunt

Jeremy Hunt said the Government’s difficult decisions were “beginning to pay off and we need to stick with them”.

Asked when he expected the improving economic situation to have an impact with voters and for Tory support to increase, the Chancellor told Sky News: “I think people recognise it has been a very, very challenging period but they don’t vote for Conservative governments for us to do popular things, they trust us to do the right thing for the long term benefit of the economy and that is what we have been doing.

“And the argument we will be making, you mention the election, is that going forward if we want to continue to make the most of our potential as a country, we need to continue to make difficult decisions…”

07:39 AM BST

Rishi Sunak: UK economy has turned a corner

07:35 AM BST

UK economy ‘returning to full health’, says Hunt

Jeremy Hunt claimed the UK economy was “returning to full health for the first time since the pandemic” after it was shown to have grown by 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2024.

The Chancellor said in a statement issued by The Treasury: “There is no doubt it has been a difficult few years, but today’s growth figures are proof that the economy is returning to full health for the first time since the pandemic.

“We’re growing this year and have the best outlook among European G7 countries over the next six years, with wages growing faster than inflation, energy prices falling and tax cuts worth £900 to the average worker hitting bank accounts.”

07:33 AM BST

UK exits recession as economy grows by 0.6 per cent

The UK economy exited recession in the first quarter of 2024 as it returned to growth, according to official data published this morning by the Office for National Statistics.

The economy grew by 0.6 per cent between January and March.

It had slid into a technical recession in the final two quarters of 2023.

07:31 AM BST

Elphicke should have been told ‘we’re full’, says former Labour MP

Natalie Elphicke should have been told “we’re full and there’s a waiting list” when she tried to defect, a former Labour MP said.

Stephen Pound, who stood down from the Commons in 2019, said Ms Elphicke’s switch from the Tories “does not sit well with me and I don’t think it sits well with most people in the Labour Party”.

Mr Pound told GB News: “The Lord loves a sinner who repenteth. But in all honesty, if I’d been the chief whip at the time and we’d got this application from Natalie Elphicke I would have said, we’re full and there’s a waiting list.

“I think this doesn’t go down very well at all. Nobody could say I was on the Left of the Labour Party, quite the contrary, but this sits very badly with me.”

He added: “It’s an absolutely extraordinary situation and really, it does not sit well with me and I don’t think it sits well with most people in the Labour Party.”

07:28 AM BST

Labour talking to more Tory MPs about defecting, claims Streeting

Wes Streeting said he has spoken to more Tories considering a defection to Labour but insisted the party would not accept just any MP after former Conservative Natalie Elphicke crossed the floor.

The shadow health secretary said Ms Elphicke had switched sides “with a purpose” and “not out of personal ambition” as he defended the move amid a backlash from some of her new party colleagues.

He said in an interview with The Independent that Ms Elphicke, as well as Dan Poulter who defected from the Tories to Labour last month, were “very powerful message-carriers”.

Mr Streeting claimed he has spoken to more Tory MPs considering a move because of the “division and incompetence” of Rishi Sunak’s government.