Hello and welcome to the bbc news at one. In the last hour, the mp Natalie Elphicke has become the latest conservative to defect to the labour party. Natalie elphicke has been the mp for dover in kent since 2019. Our chief Political Correspondent Henry Zeffmanjoins Me from The Houses Of Parliament henry, was this a surprise . It was a shock. If you had asked me before this afternoon to list 100 conservative mps most likely to defect to the labour party, Natalie Elphicke would have been nowhere near that list. And i think that was reflected in the faces of conservative mps at prime ministers questions, as keir starmer announced at the start of his question that he wanted to welcome her to the labour side. Mps had not noticed her there, and they were expressing to bewilderment to each other. Natalie elphickes announcement will hurt rishi sunak, because she goes for him on an issue that is central to his attempt to recover his political position. She accuses him of failing on small boats.
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Decades of cuts to legal aid have led to an exodus from the profession, with junior barristers earning as little as £12,000 annually despite some working a 70-hour week.