Work's Lisa Nandy went through a humiliating moment BBC Question Time, as none of the show's audience agreed that turncoat MP Natalie Elphicke would be an asset.
The shadow minister was forced to look on as no one in the studio raised their hands when asked whether the Dover MP would support Labour's cause.
But Ms Nandy shrugged off the embarrassment on last night's show, saying it would be an “abrogation of responsibility” not to include Ms Elphicke in her party.
“We have to start winning, we have to force a general election and we have to rebuild this country so that it can be at the service of working people again,” she said.
Ms Elphicke stunned Westminster this week when she switched sides Conservatives to Labor just before Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
Despite sir Keir StarmerFollowing the joy of another Tory MP defecting to his party, there has been a backlash within Labor ranks over his acceptance of Ms Elphicke.
An ally of the Labor leader today defended the move, insisting Ms Elphicke had switched sides 'for a purpose' and 'not out of personal ambition'.
Wes Straatingthe shadow health minister, revealed he has done so has spoken to more Tories was considering a defection – but insisted Labor would not accept just any MP.
Labour's Lisa Nandy suffered a humiliating moment on BBC Question Time as none of the show's audience agreed that turncoat MP Natalie Elphicke would be an asset
The shadow minister was forced to look on as no one in the studio raised their hand when asked if the Dover MP would support Labour's cause
Ms Elphicke stunned Westminster this week when she switched from the Conservatives to Sir Keir Starmer's Labor Party just before Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
During last night's Question Time, filmed in Stoke-on-Trent, presenter Fiona Bruce asked the audience if anyone thought Ms Elphicke would be an asset to Labour.
After no one raised their hands and she was asked to respond to the public's verdict, Ms Nandy ripped the Tories' record in power by urging her party to 'start winning'.
'Every time we have raised these issues in Parliament over the last fourteen years, I have walked through the divisional lobbies and voted for a better NHS, for more police on the streets, for better quality housing and for more regulation in the private rental sector. sector, for investment in our youth,” she said.
'And every time we lost.
'That is why I say to you, if people offer to convert from their previous positions and get the Labor whip and vote to protect the people I represent now and every day, until Rishi Sunak is at the comes my turn and calls a general election – it would be an abdication of my responsibility if I said: 'Absolutely not, because I have my values and I don't believe you have yours'.
“We have to start winning, we have to force a general election and we have to rebuild this country so that it serves working people again.”
Other Labor MPs have criticized the decision to admit Ms Elphicke to the party, citing her tough stances on immigration and her previous support for her ex-husband after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women.
The Dover MP apologized yesterday for claiming after Charlie Elphicke's conviction in 2020 that he was “attractive and attracted to women” and “an easy target for dirty politics and false accusations”.
She said: 'The period 2017 – 2020 was incredibly stressful and difficult for me as I learned more about the person I thought I knew.
“I know it was much harder for the women who had to relive their experiences and testify against him.”
Mr Streeting referred to both Ms Elphicke's defection – and that of former Tory Dan Poulter who switched to Labor last month – in an interview with the Independent.
The shadow health secretary said: 'I think in the case of Dan, as a doctor in the NHS, who has come to an unequivocal conclusion, only Labor can be trusted to get the NHS right, and Natalie Elphicke, who, together with her community sees the consequences of what happens when immigration goes poorly managed…
“I think they are very powerful messengers, but they defected with a purpose, not with our personal ambition, and I think people need to take that message very seriously.”
Streeting claimed he has spoken to more Tory MPs who are considering a move because of the “divisiveness and incompetence” of Sunak's government.