(Reuters) -British member of parliament Dan Poulter has defected from the ruling Conservative Party to the opposition Labour Party, in a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a set of local elections that could put further pressure on his leadership.
Sunak's Conservatives are trailing Labour by around 20 points in opinion polls ahead of a national election expected this year, and the timing of the defection appeared designed to damage the government further ahead of Thursday's local votes.
Poulter said the government's record on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) - one of Sunak's five priorities for the country - meant he could no longer represent the Conservatives.
"It is abundantly clear to me that the Labour party alone has the will and the trust to restore and reform the NHS. That's why we need a Labour government," Poulter said in an article in the Observer newspaper, adding he would stand down at the coming election.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said it was "fantastic" to welcome Poulter to the party.
"Across the country more and more people are switching to Labour because they know only this changed Labour Party can deliver the change Britain needs," he said in a statement.
"I'm delighted Dan has decided to join us on this journey."
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Timothy Heritage and David Holmes)
