Sir Keir Starmer declined to comment on Natalie Elphicke's past remarks about Charlie Elphicke's conviction for sexually assaulting two women.
Her then-husband, the former MP for Dover, was jailed for two years in 2020.
In an interview with The Sun, Ms Elphicke defended him, saying he was “attractive, and attracted to, women” and that that made him “an easy target for dirty politics and false allegations”, claiming he was the victim of a “terrible miscarriage of justice”.
When pressed on Ms Elphicke's remarks on Wednesday, 8 May, the Labour leader declined to comment and said: "I'm delighted to welcome Natalie Elphicke to the Labour party.
"She's got a strong track record on issues such as housing."
