Keir Starmer says he must be ruthless to win election as he defends defector
Keir Starmer has insisted he will need to be ruthless to win the general election as he defended his decision to welcome a Tory defector.
The Labour leader today visited Dover after local MP Natalie Elphicke crossed the floor in a surprise move on Wednesday. Her switch to Labour has triggered a backlash from some of its MPs and members, who have questioned whether she is suitable to represent the party.
But Mr Starmer said his “changed Labour Party ought to be a place where reasonably-minded people, whichever way they voted in the past, feel that they can join… and change the country for the better”. “I’m very pleased to be able to extend that invitation not just to Labour voters, but people who voted for other parties in the past,” he added.
In an interview with Sky News after his speech, Mr Starmer said a robust approach was needed for Labour to win. Asked if he is ruthless, he said: “Yes, I’m ruthless in trying to ensure we have a Labour government who can change this country for the better. Not ruthless for my own ambition, not ruthlessness particularly for the Labour Party. I’m ruthless for the country.
“The only way we’ll bring about a change in this country is if we’re ruthless about winning that general election and putting in place a government of public service, that’ll be a major change in politics.”
Questioned on whether he’s got what it takes to win, Mr Starmer said: “Of course.” But pushed on whether he can get a majority, he said: “I don’t know. I hope so. I think it’s a challenge.”
Ms Elphicke has faced criticism over comments she made when a Tory MP. When Marcus Rashford missed a crucial penalty in the Euro 2020 final, she cruelly remarked that he should have “spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics” by campaigning for free school meals. At the time, Rachel Reeves said she should “f*** off”.
Asked about the comments today, Mr Starmer told ITV News: “Look, you know, lots of people in politics have said a lot of things, but she’s been really clear about why she wants to and has crossed the floor from the Tory government to the Labour Party.”
After her then husband Charlie Elphicke, a former MP, was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women in 2020, Ms Elphicke defended him, saying he was “attractive, and attracted to, women”. She apologised for her remarks earlier this week. She was also one of three Tory MPs suspended from the Commons for one day after it was found they had attempted to influence the judge overseeing the case.
More recently she has criticised Labour’s immigration plans. In a column only a year ago, she argued that “not only have Labour got no plan of their own to tackle illegal immigration, they simply do not want to”, as she dubbed Mr Starmer “Sir Softie”.
