Tories for Starmer

Nick Boles was once at the heart of a mission to renew Conservatism. He was one of a small number of modernisers, central to the Cameron project, who ended up serving as Tory ministers. He quit over Brexit and this week made his public debut in a new job as an adviser to Rachel Reeves. He was chosen to introduce the shadow chancellor’s speech about how Keir Starmer’s government plans to revive the economy.

This is part of a new movement in British politics: Tories for Starmer. It’s something we will see a lot more of as Labour approaches power. This week also saw the defection of Natalie Elphicke, who was elected to her husband’s seat after he was arrested for sexual assault. She follows Dan Poulter, Tory MP for Central Suffolk until he defected last month. Rory Stewart, who not so long ago ran to be Tory leader, has said he would be interested in being a Labour peer in the Lords. And Zac Goldsmith, given a peerage by the Tories after losing his seat, says he may vote for Starmer. Andrew Cooper, another member of the Boles-Cameron set who ended up as Cameron’s pollster (and was put in the Lords for his services) is also now advising Labour.

Starmer will soon have a queue of former Tories waiting to take up places as his svengalis, with varying degrees of plausibility. Elphicke, in particular, is a stretch. ‘Don’t trust Labour on immigration,’ she used to say: ‘they really want open borders.’ Now she praises Starmer for changing Labour ‘out of all recognition’ and says the Conservative party is a byword for incompetence and a failure to build homes. Dan Poulter is being lined up to be a mental health adviser under Labour.