Dr Dan Poulter, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, who also works part-time as a mental health doctor in the NHS, said he would not stand at the next election but would join Labour until the vote, likely to be anytime between later this year and early 2025.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Dr Poulter to the party, describing his defection as a “fantastic” boost to their attempts to unseat the Conservatives. “It’s fantastic to welcome Dr Dan Poulter MP to today’s changed Labour Party,” Sir Keir wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”
In an interview with the BBC, Dr Poulter said he could no longer look his NHS colleagues in the eye and remain a Conservative as the party was not focused on public services. “The difficulty for the Conservative Party is that the party I was elected into valued public services,” he said. “It had a compassionate view about supporting the more disadvantaged in society. I think the Conservative Party today is a very different place.”
This story is from the April 28, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the April 28, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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