Hello John!

Welcome back! We’re here to bring you the latest as Westminster brims with fervour over the drama that unfolded in the Commons. Let's delve into it!

Defection Drama

Keir Starmer’s decision to welcome Conservative defector Natalie Elphicke into Labour sparked uproar this week. Once a staunch right-wing critic of Labour's migration policies.

Coming one week after the defection of Tory MP’s and GP Dan Poulter over the Government’s mismanagement of the NHS, Elphicke crossed the aisle in dramatic fashion just before PMQs and delivered a scathing rebuke to Rishi Sunak for losing control of the borders. Her words were music to Labour ears but a shock to her former colleagues with Jonathan Gullis visibly fuming over the sight of Elphicke perched behind Starmer.

However, not everyone in Labour is thrilled. Her past criticisms of Labour, enthusiastic support for Brexit and vocal defence of her ex-husband Charlie Elphicke, who was convicted for sexual assault, have rubbed many the wrong way. One Shadow Minister quipped, “Are we welcoming Farage next week?”. Yet Starmer stood firm, saying her defection is a testament to how far Labour has come in the eyes of frustrated Conservatives.

Sunak’s Sinking Ship

After losing almost 500 councillors, suffering two defections from his parliamentary party and his last remaining metro mayor disowning him, Rishi Sunak suggested we could yet be on course for a hung parliament. While anything is possible in politics, his claim was met with scepticism from some and laughter from others. 

In the wake of the Elphicke defection and recent elections, Labour recorded a massive 30-point poll lead over the Conservatives—the widest margin since Liz Truss’ brief and shambolic premiership. 

And yet timing seems to have been Sunak’s salvation as even die-hard Sunak critics like Suella Braverman and Andrea Leadsom aborted rumoured plans for yet another Tory party coup so close to a general election. As Conservative MPs brace for potential electoral devastation, murmurs grow louder for Sunak to show stronger vision and appeal to disillusioned Tory voter on "strike." 

Swinney sworn in

As chaos continues in Westminster, Holyrood seems to be stabilising with Scotland’s new First Minister John Swinney sworn in on Monday. An experienced politician, SNP supporters are hoping he will be a safer pair of hands but much of his cabinet has stayed the same, with most members doing the same jobs as under Humza Yousaf.

The exception is Kate Forbes who, despite fierce opposition from the Greens, has been elevated to deputy first minister. Interestingly,  Swinney has decided to scrap the minister of independence post, perhaps signalling a changed approach to Scottish separation from the UK? We will just have to wait and see.

GDP Jamboree

On Friday it was confirmed that the UK was officially out of recession as the economy grew by 0.6% between January and March. In a work of spin that would put my washing machine to shame, the Government jubilantly claimed that it was evidence their plan was working, just so long as you ignore the recession and the 14 years of falling living standards and economic stagnation interrupted only by Brexit, catastrophic pandemic mismanagement and Liz Truss.

Brexit Corner

Support for close UK-EU relationship rock solid

Adding to the Tories’ woes, new data from Best for Britain’s Spring Megapoll reveals that half of all respondents desire closer EU-UK ties, dwarfing those who prefer more distance (14.8%) or want the status quo (24%). Our MRP analysis of over 15,000 respondents shows that this desire for rapprochement with the EU is consistent across the UK, with the strongest support in Scotland (56.2%).

Even in constituencies like Boston and Skegness, which heavily backed Leave in 2016, a closer EU-UK relationship is the most popular choice. Meanwhile, only Reform UK voters—the mere 8.5% who back the party—favour greater distance from the EU.

The longing for stronger EU-UK ties is echoed across all major political groups, ranging from 62% (Labour) to 73% (SNP). It's also worth noting that readers of Brexit-backing newspapers like the Daily Mail, The Sun, and The Daily Telegraph overwhelmingly support closer ties too. I wonder what their editors make of that?

Key Takeaways

We know that at the next election having our finger on the pulse of each constituency with up to date and accurate data will be crucial to giving voters the information they need to give the Government a batter-ing. That’s why we poll everything from voting intention right down to their favourite takeaway.

Our polling found that most Brits (26%) will opt for a Chinese takeaway 🥡, fish and chips 🐟🍟🗞️ was second with 20%, indian🥘 curried favour with 17% and pizza 🍕 with a 16% slice of respondents. 

Use the Best for Britain Munch Mapper to find out the favourite cheat-day-treat in your area.

🫣 Cringe Column 😬

And that's a wrap for this week's political pandemonium. Stay safe out there and enjoy the sunshine!

Elsie

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