Dr Dan Poulter's defection to Labour described as 'bolt from the blue' by fellow Suffolk Tories

Dan Poulter's defection to Labour comes as a surprise to both colleagues and constituents in Suffolk.

Fellow Conservative MPs in the county said they were "sad", "disappointed" and believe "he has made the wrong decision".

News of the defection emerged on Saturday as the Labour Party revealed the Suffolk MP had controversially crossed the floor.

In his neighbouring constituency Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said Dr Poulter's decision was a "bolt from the blue... bearing in mind his previous highly critical comments about the Labour Party".

The news also comes as an unwelcome surprise to Downing Street, just a few days ahead of local elections, the last big test of political opinion ahead of a General Election, expected later this year.

Defections are rare and this one is made more damaging to the prime minister as Dr Poulter is a hospital doctor who has also worked in the NHS throughout his time as an MP.

He has worked in various hospitals and covered during Covid as well as working night shifts to cover during the doctors' strikes.

He is currently working at the local mental health trust to his Suffolk constituency [the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust].

And it is these shifts that he says have been a life-changing experience and led him to resign from the Conservative party and throw his weight behind Keir Starmer, saying he doesn't have confidence in the government's handling of the NHS.

Dr Poulter added: "It is abundantly clear to me that the Labour party alone has the will and the trust to restore and reform the NHS."

Come the General Election campaign, the NHS is likely to be the top priority for many voters so this resignation letter makes very difficult reading for Rishi Sunak.

Meanwhile, Labour are delighted. Expect Dan Poulter's comments to be quoted not just this week at Prime Minister's Questions but all over Labour's campaign literature. Dan Poulter says he won't contest his Suffolk seat as a Labour candidate. It would perhaps be a tough one to win, as it's currently one of the safest Tory seats in the East of England.

But he says he believes Rishi Sunak should get on and call a General Election.

This surprise defection and the fallout from it may just push the PM into calling that election sooner than Rishi Sunak was planning.

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