Charlie Elphick and Natalie Elphick arrive at court during the trial. Photo: Gavin Rogers
Tory defector Natalie Elphicke is accused of lobbying the Justice Secretary in 2020 to intervene in her then-husband's sex crimes trial.
Sir Robert Buckland said the member Parliament, which has now fallen to the Labor Party, approached him when he was Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary before the Charlie Elphick hearing.
She allegedly told Sir Robert it was unfair that the case was the first to be heard at Southwark Crown Court after the Covid lockdown and that it was being overseen by Lady Justice Whipple, the Times reported.
According to The Times, one person present saw her comments as an attempt to move the case to a lower court to spare her partner from public scrutiny, while another saw it as an attempt to replace a senior judge.
< p>Sir Robert rejected her request, suggesting his intervention could undermine the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers between Parliament and the judiciary.
The Conservative MP told The Times: “She was told in no uncertain terms that it would be completely inappropriate to speak to her at all.” judge about the trial.»
Sir Robert Buckland says Nathalie Elphicke approached him when he was Lord Chancellor and Minister for Justice, before the hearing of Charlie Elphick. Credit: PA/Liam McBurney
Ms Elphicke's ex-husband and predecessor as Dover MP was later found guilty of sexually assaulting two women and jailed for two years.
She ended the marriage following his conviction but supported his unsuccessful appeal , saying Mr Elphick was «attractive and attracted to women» and an «easy target for dirty politics and false accusations».
Ms Elphick also allegedly tried to get him better conditions in prison, asking for more comfortable pillows, the publication reported.
The new Labor MP denies characterizing the meeting with Sir Robert as asking for better prison conditions.
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Ms Elphicke's spokesman told The Times: “This is nonsense. It is certainly true that Mr Elphick continued to be supported after his imprisonment by a large number of Tory MPs who had known him for a long time, including those who visited him and lobbied independently on his behalf, which had nothing to do with Natalie »
A Labor Party spokesman said: «Natalie Elphicke completely rejects this characterization of the meeting.
«If Robert Buckland had any genuine concerns about the meeting, he should have raised them then rather than presenting them complaints to the newspapers now that Natalie has decided to join the Labor Party.»
Labour MPs express concern
Following news of Ms Elphicke's defection this week, Labor MPs expressed concern about the decision to admit her to the party, citing her comments about Mr Elphicke's case and its victims.
In a statement in Thursday she said she condemned “his behavior towards other women and towards me,” adding that “it was right that he was held accountable” and she “regrets the comments I made about his victims.”< /p>
There was another Tory briefing against Ms Elphicke in The Observer, where party sources said she had quit the Conservatives because she was «bitter» about being denied a ministerial post in charge of housing policy.< /p>
Ms Elphicke was furious at being rejected first by Liz Truss when she entered Downing Street in 2022 and then again by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, The Observer reports.< /p>
Announcing her decision to switch parties, Ms Elphicke hit out at Mr Sunak's «tired and chaotic government» and accused him of failing to deliver on his promise to «stop the boats», adding that Labor would «bring a much better future for our country.»
Sir Keir Starmer faced questions over where he would draw the line in welcoming right-wing politicians into his party.
On a joint visit to Dover with his new MP, the Labor Party leader said politics should be «less tribal» and suggested he was open to «reasonable people» from other parties joining the Labor Party.
Ms Elficke was contacted for comments.
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