Labour’s backlash against Natalie Elphicke will reshape the party

Female Labour MPs, in particular, are furious at their leader’s embrace of a former Liz Truss cheerleader, who defended her sex-offender former husband. But Starmer’s masterstroke could have unforeseen benefits – and even offer a way back for Diane Abbott, says John Rentoul

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer with former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke in his parliamentary office (PA)

Keir Starmer was expecting a backlash from his own party when he accepted Natalie Elphicke’s defection from the Conservative Party. That was one reason for springing the surprise two minutes before Prime Minister’s Questions – it meant Labour MPs had no time to react before it was used for maximum advantage to humiliate Rishi Sunak.

But the reaction has been fiercer than Starmer expected. The Labour leader seems to have underestimated the dismay among female Labour MPs, in particular, who are appalled by Elphicke’s defence of her former husband, convicted of sexual assault in 2020.

Many Labour members are outraged at Starmer’s hypocrisy in welcoming a right-wing Tory while keeping out Diane Abbott, the trailblazing campaigner for equal rights. “Keir Starmer would sell his grandmother,” said one.