Conservative MP Dan Poulter, former Minister of Health, told media on Saturday April 27 that he was joining the Labor Party, which represents a new snub for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, already lagging behind in the polls for the legislative elections.
Mr Poulter made the announcement to The Observer, the Sunday publication of The Guardian newspaper. Labor leader Keir Starmer wrote on X that he was delighted “to welcome MP Dan Poulter”.
Mr. Poulter, who called on the head of government to call the legislative elections “as quickly as possible”, explained his decision by the problems encountered by the public health service, the National Health Service (NHS). “It is absolutely clear to me that only the Labor Party has the will and the confidence to restore and reform the NHS,” he told The Observer, according to comments published on the Guardian website.
Labor ahead of Tories in polls
“That’s why we need a Labor government, and that’s why I think Keir Starmer must lead that government as the next prime minister,” added MP Poulter, who represents a constituency in the south-east from England.
Prime Minister Sunak’s Conservatives are trailing Labor in the polls for the general election due to be held this year.