Elphicke's defection 'naked opportunism' says Cameron.

Natalie Elphicke’s defection to the Labour Party was “naked opportunism”, David Cameron has said. The foreign secretary criticised his former Conservative colleague over her decision to cross the floor of the House of Commons, saying: “I am not a fan of defectors.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

I think it leaves a legacy of upset and betrayal... I thought this was just naked opportunism.”

Lord Cameron told Sky News it would lead to people looking at Labour and thinking: “If you don’t stand for anything, then you will fall for stuff like this.”

It came as a slew of negative stories about Ms Elphicke hit the headlines, just days after Sir Keir Starmer welcomed her into the Labour fold. Sir Robert Buckland has accused her of lobbying him while he was justice secretary in an effort to interfere in her husband’s sex offences trial.

Ms Elphicke allegedly approached Sir Robert before the hearing of Charlie Elphicke’s case, which saw the former MP for Dover jailed over three counts of sexual assault against two women. Sir Robert said he rejected her plea and suggested that his intervention could undermine the constitutional doctrine of the separation of powers between parliament and the judiciary.

The Tory MP told The Sunday Times: “She was told in no uncertain terms that it would have been completely inappropriate to speak to the judge about the trial at all.”

Adding to the pressure on Labour and Ms Elphicke over the defection, The Observer reported that her fury at not being offered a ministerial post had contributed to the decision. Senior Tory sources told the paper she had made it clear to Rishi Sunak that she wanted to be a housing minister, with the snub contributing to her decision to cross the floor.