Labour Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has opened the door to more Tory defections after Dan Poulter crossed the floor.
Speaking on GB News, Streeting told Camilla Tominey that Labour are seeking to build a “big tent”.
“Dan Poulter’s defection shows and the way in which he’s been received by Parliamentary colleagues that people would be very welcome to come to the Labour Party.
“We want to build that big tent and we want people, when the general election comes, to vote Labour.
Wes Streeting speaks to Camilla Tominey on GB News
GB NEWS
“Particularly in those tight races between Labour and the Conservatives. We’re appealing to them as we are to Conservative voters.
“We’re also appealing to Liberal Democrat and Green voters to lend us those votes in those races.
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Dr Dan Poulter has crossed the floorUK Parliament/WikiCommons“We want to work together to build the future our country needs.”
Streeting touched upon the importance of people across the political divide “working together” to build a Labour Party that has a wide array of perspectives.
“I think what the Dan Poulter defection shows is that the Labour Party can build a big tent to unite our party”, he said.
“Bear in mind, as well as Dan Poulter, we’ve had Richard Walker, the Chairman of Iceland, former Conservative, now backing Labour for business.
“You’ve got Nick Boles, who helped David Cameron prepare for government before the 2010 election, a former Conservative Minister saying Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves offer serious leadership.
“I really do think that the country is crying out for change. I hope people vote for that change at the general election.”
Poulter, a former health minister and working medic, on Saturday quit the Conservatives saying it is “failing” the NHS and that he could no longer “look my NHS colleagues in the eye” as a Tory.
He will take the Labour whip until the general election but will not be running again as the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, he wrote in the Observer.
It has increased pressure on Rishi Sunak who has not ruled out the possibility of a July election.