‘Welsh Labour voters dismayed by party’s hard-right shift can find a home in Plaid Cymru’

Keir Starmer’s ‘Reform-ed Labour party’ has ‘lost its moral compass’ – Liz Saville Roberts

Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, has today (Thursday 9 May) made an appeal to Labour voters in Wales unhappy about the party’s embrace of a “hard-right, anti-trade union, anti-immigrant” MP.

Natalie Elphicke succeeded her husband, Charlie Elphicke as Member of Parliament for Dover and Deal in 2019, whom she continued to defend after he was charged with three counts of sexual assault.

In 2020, she mocked Marcus Rashford for campaigning for free school meals and was given a one-day suspension from Parliament for attempting to influence judges in her husband's sentencing appeal after his conviction.

Elphicke voted to make abortion a criminal offence in Northern Ireland and has previously criticised “militant” trade unions. Just last year, she warned voters not to trust Labour on immigration as “they really want open borders”, referring to her now party leader as “Sir Softie”.

Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said this morning that the Dover MP was a "good, natural fit" for her party.

Ms Saville Roberts said it was a “slap in the face to progressive voters”, adding that voters in Wales will no longer even be protected by ‘clear red water’, a previous strategy which attempted to distance the Welsh branch of Labour from the wider UK party.

Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

“Keir Starmer’s embrace of a hard-right, anti-trade union, anti-immigrant MP is a slap in the face to progressive voters. To make matters worse, gone are the days of ‘clear red water’ distinguishing Welsh Labour with the wider UK party - Vaughan Gething has made clear that his main priority is making Starmer Prime Minister, not prioritising Wales’ interests.

“Natalie Elphicke’s record on abortion belongs to the fringes of the Conservative Party, if not Reform UK, while her attempts to discredit victims of sexual assault should shame her new party. Her attacks on those who support free school meals undermines the work achieved in Wales. it should concern us all that she can now find a haven in Keir Starmer’s Reform-ed Labour Party.

“It is evident now that the priority for Labour under Starmer’s rule is winning at any cost, even when the cost means trashing values we hold dear in Wales. It is a party that has truly lost its moral compass. Plaid Cymru’s doors are open to all those who believe in a fairer, greener, progressive Wales.”