Tory MP and ex-Health Secretary defect to Labour

A Tory MP and former health secretary has defected to Labour, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said.

Dr. Dan Poulter, a working medic, has quit Rishi Sunak’s party because he says things have “failed” in the NHS.

He will take up the Labor whip until the general election, after which he will not stand again as MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, he told the Observer.

Dr. Poulter told the newspaper that the Conservative Party “feels like it has become a nationalist party of the right”, having seen a “right-wing drift” since David Cameron’s premiership.

“Healthcare is no longer a priority area for the Conservative Party, and this is now reflected in the pressure on the frontline and the deterioration of care for patients,” he said.

Mr Streeting said on social media site Dan Poulter, MP, to join the @UKLabour Party.

“As a primary care doctor he has seen the damage that 14 years of Conservative government has done to our NHS.

“I welcome his support and look forward to working with him, especially on mental health reform.”

The resignation is a major blow to Sunak, less than a week before the council and mayoral elections, in which the Tories are expected to suffer heavy losses.

It is the first time a Conservative MP has spoken for Labor since Christian Wakeford did so in 2022.