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Natalie Elphicke

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Natalie Elphicke
Official portrait, 2019
Member of Parliament
for Dover
In office
12 December 2019 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byCharlie Elphicke
Succeeded byMike Tapp
Personal details
Born
Natalie Cecilia Ross

(1970-11-05) 5 November 1970 (age 53)
Welwyn Garden City, England
Political partyLabour (since 2024)
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (until 2024)
Spouse
Charlie Elphicke
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2021)​
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Kent
Websitenatalieelphicke.com

Natalie Cecilia Elphicke OBE (née Ross; born 5 November 1970) is a British Labour Party politician and former finance lawyer. Elected for the Conservative Party at the 2019 general election, she succeeded her now ex-husband Charlie Elphicke as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover after he was charged with sexual assault.

Before entering politics, Elphicke worked in housing finance and policy development. She defected to the Labour Party on 8 May 2024, shortly before standing down at the 2024 general election.

Early life and career

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Natalie Cecilia Ross was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, on 5 November 1970, and grew up in social housing.[1][2][3] She was privately educated at Queenswood School in Hertfordshire, before attending the state sector Clarendon House Grammar School in Ramsgate and Canterbury College. She then studied law at the University of Kent in Canterbury, gaining an LLB (Hons) degree.[3] She was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1994 on a Hardwicke Scholarship, and admitted as a solicitor in 1999. She worked as a lawyer for the Inland Revenue from 1995 to 1997.[2]

Elphicke was the author of the 2010 report Housing People; Financing Housing for the conservative think-tank Policy Exchange.[4] She led the Conservative Policy Forum when it was launched in 2011.[5] Elphicke worked for Stephenson Harwood, becoming a partner in their banking practice. She left in 2013 to found Million Homes, Million Lives, with Calum Mercer, a former finance director at Circle Housing.[6][7] However, this company was dissolved in 2016.[8] She was a non-executive director of the Student Loans Company, and chair of its Audit and Risk Committee. She was also an independent member of the Audit and Risk Committee at the Department for Education.[9]

The Elphicke-House Report

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Elphicke co-authored with Keith House a review into the role of local authorities in providing housing. Announced in the 2013 Autumn Statement, the remit included the restriction that any proposals should not involve breaching the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap.[10] It involved canvassing the views of over 400 organisations up and down the country.[11] The review entitled From statutory provider to Housing Delivery Enabler: Review into the local authority role in housing supply was published on 27 January 2015.[10]

Housing and Finance Institute

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Main article: Housing and Finance Institute

Elphicke is the chief executive of the privately funded Housing and Finance Institute set up by the Cameron–Clegg coalition in 2015.[12] In January 2017, she launched a pilot scheme to facilitate a more effective way of integrating the provision of infrastructure such as water, electricity, gas, broadband and roads in proposals to develop housing. Following an initial report due by the end of January, the scheme was due to run until May 2017, with reports being submitted to the MPs Gavin Barwell, Minister of State for Housing and Planning and Stephen Hammond MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure.[13]

Parliamentary career

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Conservative Member of Parliament

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Elphicke was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Dover constituency on 8 November 2019. Hers was the only name on the ballot in the selection vote at the local association.[3] She had previously narrowly lost out to Matt Hancock for selection as the candidate for West Suffolk prior to the 2010 general election.[14] Dover had previously been represented by her then husband Charlie, who had stood down after being charged with three counts of sexual assault against two women.[15] She was elected as the MP for the seat at the 2019 general election with a majority of 12,278.[16] On becoming an MP, she joined the European Research Group of pro-Brexit MPs in the house.[17]

In February 2020, Elphicke was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.[18] In May 2020, she became the chair of the New Homes Quality Board, an independent body created by the government to create a framework for improving quality in the house building industry.[19][20] For this role she earned £21,000 from May to November 2020 and earned £3,000 per month from January 2021 to April 2022 for approximately 8 hrs work per week.[21][22][23]

Following England's defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 Final, Elphicke was criticised for a private message in which she asked if it would be "ungenerous to suggest" that striker Marcus Rashford, campaigner for free school meals, "should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics".[24][25] She later apologised for her remarks saying: "I regret messaging privately a rash reaction about Marcus Rashford's missed penalty and apologise to him for any suggestion that he is not fully focused on his football".[26]

In July 2021, she was one of five MPs found to have breached their code of conduct by the Commons Select Committee on Standards for attempting to influence senior judges in November 2020 in her husband's sentencing appeal after his conviction for sexual assault. The committee recommended that Elphicke and two other MPs receive a one-day suspension from parliament. She apologised for her actions.[27][28]

On 17 March 2022, Elphicke attended a protest against the mass sacking of 800 staff members by P&O ferries in Dover. She was heckled by some protestors who blamed her party for laws that allowed the sackings to take place which she called "nonsense".[29][30]

She supported Penny Mordaunt in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[31]

In 2023, Elphicke was appointed the Chair of the APPG for Blockchain Technology.[32]

Defection to Labour

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On 8 May 2024, Elphicke defected to the Labour Party in reaction to what she described as the "broken promises of Rishi Sunak's tired and chaotic government". She crossed the floor moments before that day's Prime Minister's Questions.[33] She was the third Conservative MP to cross the floor to Labour during that parliament, following Dan Poulter eleven days prior and Christian Wakeford in 2022.[34] Labour announced that they would retain their existing candidate in the Dover and Deal constituency at the 2024 general election.[35][36] Her defection was regarded as a shock by the BBC political editor Chris Mason due to her right-wing views.[37] Some Labour MPs were reportedly angry that Diane Abbott had not received the Labour whip back.[38] Coincidentally, fellow MP Kate Osamor had also been given the Labour whip back on the same day.[39] The following day, Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds called Elphicke a "good, natural fit for her party".[40]

Reflecting on the defection, Steve Baker, the Minister of State, Northern Ireland, commented on X: "I have been searching in vain for a Conservative MP who thinks themself to the right of Natalie Elphicke. One just quipped, 'I didn’t realise there was any room to her right.'" Left-wing group Momentum said that Elphicke should have "no place in a Labour Party committed to progressive values and working-class people".[41] Rosie Duffield, who until Elphicke's defection was the only Labour MP in Kent, said “Natalie and I work together on a lot of local issues but I don’t believe for a second that she has suddenly transformed into a Labour MP".[42] Conversely, Kevin Mills, the Labour leader of Dover District Council, praised her defection.[42]

The next day, Elphicke publicly apologised for defending her ex-husband and casting doubt on his victims' testimonies, after his conviction for sexual assault. In a statement on X, Folkestone and Hythe Labour group described Elphicke as "toxic and divisive" and said that admitting her as Labour MP would cause "tremendous damage" to the party's reputation.[43]

On 12 May, Elphicke was accused of lobbying Robert Buckland, the Secretary of State for Justice, in 2020, over her then-husband's court case.[44][45][46]

Personal life

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She married Charlie Elphicke in 1995; he is the former Conservative Party MP for Dover.[47] The couple have a son and a daughter.[2][48] After Charlie's conviction in July 2020 for sexual assault, Natalie announced that they had separated after a 25-year marriage.[49] After he was sentenced in September to two years in jail for the offences, Elphicke spoke out in support of his appeal against the conviction and sentencing, as, although she felt that he had "behaved badly", she thought the sentence was "excessive" and criticised the court as being "on a bit of a mission".[50][51] After he lost his appeal in March 2021, she was reported as having ended the marriage.[52] In July 2020, she sold the story to The Sun tabloid newspaper for £25,000.[53] The couple were divorced in 2021.[54][55]

Elphicke was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to housing, in her role as Chair of Million Homes, Million Lives.[56][57][58] She is a Freeman of the City of London.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  2. ^ a b c d "Elphicke, Natalie Cecilia, (born 5 Nov. 1970), MP (C) Dover, since 2019". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U290418. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Kinchen, Rosie (9 August 2020). "Mystery deepens over how Natalie Elphicke bagged her Dover seat". The Sunday Times.(subscription required)
  4. ^ "Housing People; Financing Housing". Policy Exchange. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Natalie Elphicke: The Conservative Policy Forum – re-launched today – will enable the grassroots to help to define a Conservative vision for our country". Conservative Home. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  6. ^ Hollander, Gavriel. "The council whisperer". Inside Housing. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  7. ^ Brown, Carl. "Half of Britain 'will be renting within 30 years'". Inside Housing. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Million Homes and Million Lives". Companies House. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Natalie Elphicke". gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b Camp, Sheila. "The Elphicke-House report on housing delivery" (PDF). LGIU.org.uk. Department for Communities and Local Government. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  11. ^ House, Keith (17 June 2015). "The new Housing Finance Institute can help Councils build homes". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Dedicated housing finance support for local authorities – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Department for Communities and Local Government. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Housing & Finance Institute chief Natalie Elphicke designs pilot scheme to unblock infrastructure hold ups delaying house building". www.builderandengineer.co.uk. Builder and Engineer. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  14. ^ Gimson, Andrew (10 May 2018). "Profile: Matt Hancock, the Osborne acolyte who managed to survive and prosper". Conservative Home. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Charlie Elphicke: Tory candidate accused of sexual assault replaced by wife". The Independent. 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Dover". BBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  17. ^ McKiernan, Jennifer. "Natalie Elphicke: Who is the former Tory MP who defected to Labour?". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Natalie Elphicke MP, Dover". TheyWorkForYou.
  19. ^ Barker, Nathaniel (26 May 2020). "Natalie Elphicke to chair New Homes Ombudsman set-up". Inside Housing. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  20. ^ Clark, Tim (10 June 2021). "New Homes Quality Board launches draft house builder code of practice". Inside Housing. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  21. ^ "The Register of Members' Financial Interests As at 1 November 2021". UK Parliament. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  22. ^ Ambrose, Tom (11 November 2021). "Tory MP who accused Marcus Rashford of 'playing politics' has second job". The Guardian.
  23. ^ "Registered Interests". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Tory MP attacks Marcus Rashford for 'playing politics' instead of practising football after penalty miss". The Independent. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Tory Natalie Elphicke sorry for saying Rashford should have spent less time 'playing politics'". lbc.co.uk. 12 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Marcus Rashford: Dover MP Natalie Elphicke apologises over penalty comments". BBC News. 12 July 2021.
  27. ^ Allegretti, Aubrey (21 July 2021). "Tory MPs suspended for trying to influence judge in Elphicke case". The Guardian.
  28. ^ "Five Tory MPs found to have breached code of conduct". BBC News. 21 July 2021.
  29. ^ "Dover MP heckled by angry P&O Ferries protesters". BBC News. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Tory MP heckled by protesters at demonstration against P&O Ferries in Dover – video report". The Guardian. 18 March 2022.
  31. ^ @PennyMordaunt (19 July 2022). "Thank you @NatalieElphicke – I will ensure stronger borders are a priority for my government" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "Natalie in the Metaverse – MP speaks of the importance of blockchain technology inspired by Dover businesses". Natalie Elphicke. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Politics latest: Tory MP Natalie Elphicke defects to Labour - as Sunak faces Starmer at PMQs". Sky News. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Chris Mason: Another wounding Conservative defection to Labour". BBC News. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Natalie Elphicke: Tory MP defects to Labour with attack on Rishi Sunak". BBC News. 8 May 2024.
  36. ^ Stephens, Jamie; Coady-Stemp, Emily (8 May 2024). "Mixed reaction in Dover as town's MP joins Labour". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Chris Mason: Natalie Elphicke's defection to Labour was one barely anyone saw coming". BBC News. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  38. ^ "The inside story of Tory MP's Natalie Elphicke's defection to Labour". BBC News. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  39. ^ Adu, Aletha; correspondent, Aletha Adu Political (8 May 2024). "Kate Osamor has Labour whip restored after investigation into Gaza genocide comments". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  40. ^ "Natalie Elphicke: Labour insists ex-Tory MP is 'good fit' for party". BBC News. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  41. ^ Cunliffe, Rachel (8 May 2024). "PMQs review: Natalie Elphicke's defection to Labour steals the show".
  42. ^ a b "Dover MP: Natalie Elphicke defection splits opinion in Kent town". BBC News. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  43. ^ Courea, Eleni (9 May 2024). "Natalie Elphicke 'sorry' for defending ex-husband jailed for sexual assault". Retrieved 9 May 2024 – via The Guardian.
  44. ^ "New Labour MP Natalie Elphicke accused of lobbying over husband's sexual assault case". 11 May 2024 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  45. ^ "Elphicke 'lobbied justice secretary to interfere in husband's sex offence trial'". The Independent. 12 May 2024.
  46. ^ "Natalie Elphicke says claims she lobbied justice secretary over ex-husband's trial are 'nonsense'". Sky News.
  47. ^ Fearn, Hannah (25 June 2013). "Natalie Elphicke: Drawing up a new blueprint for social housing". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  48. ^ Davies, Gareth (30 July 2020). "Charlie Elphicke's wife dumps him on Twitter after he is found guilty of sexually assaulting two women". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  49. ^ "Ex-MP guilty of sexual assaults". BBC News. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  50. ^ "Charlie Elphicke: Ex-MP jailed for sex assaults on women". BBC News. 16 September 2020.
  51. ^ Karim, Fariha (16 September 2020). "Natalie Elphicke, wife of sex case MP, criticises jail term". The Times.(subscription required)
  52. ^ "Charlie Elphicke: Ex-MP loses sex assaults prison sentence appeal". BBC News. 4 March 2021.
  53. ^ "MP wife of 'naughty Tory' paid £25k to 'tell-all'". Kent Online. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  54. ^ "Who is Natalie Elphicke - and why did she defect from Tories to Labour?". The Independent. 8 May 2024.
  55. ^ Swinford, Steven; Grylls, George (9 May 2024). "Natalie Elphicke apologises for comments defending husband" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  56. ^ United Kingdom: "No. 61256". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2015. p. B12.
  57. ^ Barker, Nathaniel (26 February 2020). "Former Housing & Finance Institute boss gets junior MHCLG role". Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  58. ^ Fearn, Hannah (25 June 2013). "Natalie Elphicke: Drawing up a new blueprint for social housing". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Dover
2019–2024 		Succeeded by
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