Top Tory MP and former health minister defects to Labour as he blasts NHS 'chaos'

27 April 2024, 18:11 | Updated: 27 April 2024, 19:29

Conservative MP and former health minister Dan Poulter has announced his defection to Labour.

The former health minister and Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich announced his decision on Saturday.

The MP said that his 20 night shifts over the past year had been a “truly life-changing” experience, witnessing an "overstretched" health service first-hand.

Mr Poulter also labelled the Conservatives a "nationalist party of the right".

The defection was confirmed by Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer and MP Wes Streeting.

Taking to X formerly Twitter, the Labour leader wrote: "It’s fantastic to welcome Dr Dan Poulter MP to today’s changed Labour Party.

"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."

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Mr Poulter won his seat with a majority of 23,321 at the last election.

In an opinion column published on Saturday, the Tory MP wrote: "As an MP and psychiatrist, I see the burden that a service near breaking point takes on patients, their families and healthcare colleagues"

Mr Poulter, who works part-time as a mental health doctor in the NHS, made the announcement during an interview with The Guardian.

Mr Poulter said he would not seek re-election to the House of Commons at the next general election, adding that instead he envisaged a role 'advising Labour on mental health'.

Writing in the Observer, he explained that "working on the frontline of a health service under great strain left me at times, as an MP, struggling to look my NHS colleagues, my patients and my constituents in the eye."

"Throughout the small hours, my clinical colleagues and I cared for many patients suffering from serious psychosis who would routinely be waiting several days, rather than hours, in a windowless room in A&E for a mental health bed," Mr Poulter explained.

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He explained that his experiences led to his defection, noting Labour was the only party he believed was now really committed to investing in improving the NHS.

He said: “I could not go on as part of that. I have to be able to look my NHS colleagues in the eye, my patients in the eye and my constituents in the eye.

"And I know that the Conservative government has been failing on the thing I care about most, which is the NHS and its patients.”

Dr Poulter is the first defection by a Tory MP to Labour since Christian Wakeford in 2022.

It comes as Jacob Rees-Mogg has been filmed being chased off university by a group of far-left activists.

Sir Jacob, the former Cabinet minister, had given a talk to Cardiff University's Conservative association.