UK Conservative defects to Labour Party, another hit to PM Rishi Sunak ahead of election

Key Facts

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was accused Wednesday of leading a "chaotic" government as another one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the main opposition Labour Party ahead of a looming general election.
The defection of Elphicke is particularly surprising as she was widely considered to be on the right of the Conservative Party and has been hugely critical of Labour in the past.
Just under 30,000 people have arrived in Britain in small boats in 2023, and Sunak has made reducing that number a key issue ahead of the election due this year, notably with his controversial plan to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
It has to take place by January, and Sunak has repeatedly said that his "working assumption" was that it would take place in the second half of 2024.