Labour’s newest MP after her shock defection from the Conservative Party, Natalie Elphike has a track record of firmly establishing herself on the right wing of British politics.
A lawyer specializing in housing policy, she succeeded her current husband, disgraced former Conservative Charlie Elphicke, as Dover MP. He was convicted of sexual assault in 2020 and jailed.
There are even questions about how she ended up in his seat. She announced weeks before the 2019 election that she had been “unanimously” chosen to contest the seat, but the local Conservative Party association has since endorsed Mr Elphike as the only candidate. It became clear that
But her comments, which range from immigration to Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford’s involvement in anti-poverty campaigns, have come under fire from those who will now be her allies on the opposition benches.
Suspension from the House of Commons
Elphike was suspended by the House of Commons and ordered to apologize in September 2020 after it was found that she had tried to influence the judge presiding over the trial of her ex-husband Charlie Elphike, who was serving a two-year sentence. He was one of several Conservative MPs. .
Using public documents from the trial, MPs wrote to a senior judge about his pre-sentence profile in November 2020, before a hearing on his release.
After writing a letter “expressing concerns” about the hearing, he received a response the next day from the Office of the Chief Justice of England and Wales, which said the intervention was “inappropriate”. They later received recommendations from the Commons Standards Committee.
Attitude towards survivors’ claims
Elphike was quick to defend her then-husband after the Conservative Party suspended him following a number of recent allegations by women.
She said the removal of the whip at the insistence of one of the women was a threat to British values, and compared her situation to that of Welsh MP Carl Sargent, who committed suicide after the incident. She is told she faces unspecified allegations regarding her actions.
Even after Charlie Elphike’s conviction and the end of their marriage, she supported his appeal and refocused on his defense. write in the sun: “Charlie is attractive, wealthy, charismatic, and successful. He’s charming and attracted to women.
“Everything in today’s climate makes him an easy target for dirty politics and false allegations,” she added.
Attack on Marcus Rashford
Elphike said Rashford had been suspended from “political activity” after the Manchester United and England footballer missed a crucial penalty in the Euro 2020 final, injuring Rashford and some of his team-mates. also apologized after being criticized for saying he should have spent more time “perfecting his game.” He has been subjected to a barrage of abuse online. After the match, she sent a personal message to her colleagues suggesting she would stick to her day job rather than press the government for free school meals and campaigning against child food poverty.
she wrote: “They lost. Is it disrespectful to say that Rashford should have spent less time involved in politics and more time perfecting his game?”
second job
After the attack on Rashford, it emerged that Elphike received £36,000 a year from his role as chair of the New Homes Quality Commission, on top of his £82,000 salary as an MP.
According to her entry in the membership directory, her role on the board is described as “industry-led efforts to drive new standards for residential building standards with the independent New Homes Ombudsman”, and by the time of her appointment, It took about 8 hours. She was paid £3,000 a month.
Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Lynagh said at the time that Boris Johnson, then Conservative Party leader, had questioned whether his MPs were MPs representing their constituents or paid advisers and consultants working for private gain. He said there was a need to “judge.”
emigration
Just a year ago, Elphike wrote: Daily Express opinion piece The headline read: “Don’t trust Labor on immigration, they really want open borders” and ended with an attack on Keir Starmer, whom she called “Sir Softie”.
Elphike was also one of the Conservative backbenchers who acted as a hindrance to Rishi Sunak’s efforts to pass the Rwanda expulsion bill through the House of Commons. At one point, she was among the opposition supporters of former immigration minister Robert Jenrick’s amendments.
Elphicke is Criticized in August 2020 She was praised for her rhetoric in a video message she tweeted after seeing eight migrants land in Kent State. She said: “It is unacceptable for people to invade the UK in this way.” Immigration and family lawyer Andrew Powell criticized her “appalling and inhuman language”.
She also came under fire for Choose Christmas Day 2021 This is the moment that calls for an end to small boat crossings in the Channel.
voting record
Elphike’s position in the House of Commons pushes her significantly to the right, even compared to some other Conservatives.
She has consistently voted in favor of making it easier to remove British citizenship, and almost always in favor of toughening the law and enforcing immigration rules.
It is at odds with the Labor Party on environmental issues. As recently as February, she voted to reject climate change testing for new oil and gas licenses. She also voted alongside her Conservative colleagues on an attempt to bring air quality targets in line with World Health Organization guidelines.
In other votes, she supported stricter restrictions on trade union activity.
