Labour chair defends decision to admit Elphicke to party while Abbott is suspended

Anneliese Dodds backs move to accept Conservative defector Natalie Elphicke as backlash grows

The Labour party’s chair has defended the decision to admit a staunchly rightwing MP while Diane Abbott has remained suspended and under investigation for more than a year.

Anneliese Dodds said she believed Elphicke was a good fit for Labour because her remarks on border security and housing were “absolutely fundamental to the Labour party”.