Jeremy Hunt admits Tory MPs 'lost their cool' after Ephicke defection

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Jeremy Hunt has admitted Tory MPs are “losing their cool” as they continue to be beaten by Labor in the polls.

Westminster was stunned this week by the shock defection of Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke to Labor.

The move added to Rishi Sunak's woes just days after he appeared to fend off conservative rebels keen to oust him, after shaking off devastating local election results.

Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, also urged Mr Sunak to regain control of his party, warning that “the public do not vote for parties that are not united”.

Asked about both Lord Houchen's comments and Ms Elphicke's defection, he replied: "What he (Houchen) said was that divided parties don't win the elections and that we must unite as a Conservative Party.

p>“I think that when we see that we are behind in the polls, unfortunately some colleagues lose their cool.” He added: “But the vast majority of parliamentary colleagues understand a very simple truth: people vote for Conservative governments because they trust us to make tough, difficult decisions in the long-term interests of the economy "They can see we've done this." His comment comes as Tory MPs panic over who could be next to move to Labor. that they were blindsided by Ms Elphicke's decision to change parties, as she is considered one of the most right-wing people on the party benches

Her defection followed closely. former Tory MP Dan Poulter, who joined Keir Starmer's team last month

But Westminster is rife with rumors that another Tory politician is about to make the jump. p>