Conservative MP Dan Poulter has defected to Labour in the latest blow to Rishi Sunak‘s government.
The ex-health minister, who works part time as a doctor, said he found it ‘increasingly difficult to look his NHS colleagues in the eye’ while being a Tory.
He claimed the Conservatives were not prioritising public services, saying they no longer had a ‘compassionate view about supporting the more disadvantaged in society’.
Dr Poulter added that he had ‘no animus’ towards Rishi Sunak but urged the Prime Minister to call a general election ‘as soon as possible’.
The move comes as another blow to Mr Sunak, who only yesterday brushed off rumours that he would call a general election next week in a bid to thwart a possible leadership challenge from restive MPs.
Conservative MP Dan Poulter who announced he has defected to Labour in the latest blow to Rishi Sunak ‘s government
The ex-health minister, who works part time as a doctor, said he found it ‘increasingly difficult to look his NHS colleagues in the eye’ while being a Tory
The move comes as another blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (pictured)
Dr Poulter told The BBC: ‘I found it increasingly difficult to look my NHS colleagues in the eye, my patients in the eye, and my constituents in the eye with good conscience.’
‘The difficulty for the Conservative Party is that the party I was elected into valued public services… it had a compassionate view about supporting the more disadvantaged in society.
‘I think the Conservative Party today is in a very different place.’
Downing Street has been informed of the move, although it has not yet responded, according to The BBC.
Meanwhile Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the news. He wrote on social media: ‘It’s fantastic to welcome Dr Dan Poulter MP to today’s changed Labour Party.
‘It’s time to end the Conservative chaos, turn the page and get Britain’s future back. I’m really pleased that Dan has decided to join us on this journey.’
Dr Poulter confirmed he will sit as a Labour MP until the general election, when he will then stand down from his role.
Dr Dan Poulter (right) with fellow Tory MPs Nadhim Zahawi (left) and Guy Opperman in the Lobby of the Palace of Westminster in 2011
Announcing his defection to Labour in the Observer newspaper Dr Poulter said Rishi Sunak should call a general election ‘as soon as possible’.
He wrote: ‘I believe it is now incumbent on me as a medical practitioner passionately committed to our NHS to throw my weight behind the Labour Party in its determination to ensure we again have a health service of which we can be proud, and which best meets the needs of every patient.
‘It is abundantly clear to me that the Labour Party alone has the will and the trust to restore and reform the NHS. That’s why we need a Labour government, and why I believe Keir Starmer must lead that government as our next prime minister.’
Dr Poulter defended his decision to defect, despite being voted in by his constituents as a Conservative party member.
He dismissed the prospect of continuing as a Tory MP until the general election and then standing down or calling a by-election, insisting it was ‘better to work for my constituents [as a Labour MP] through to the end of this Parliament’.
Dr Poulter served as health minister under David Cameron’s coalition government for a number of years after first being elected in 2010.
He won a 23,391 majority in his constituency of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich in the 2019 General Election.
He becomes the only the third Conservative MP to defect from the party since 2019, following in the footsteps of Christian Wakeford who also defected to Labour in 2022.
Former Tory party chairman Lee Anderson also joined Reform last month.