THE PARTY’S OVER
Rebel MPs resign in protest at Corbyn’s stance on Brexit, national security and anti-Semitism
SEVEN MPs left Labour in crisis yesterday as they quit the party – blaming Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership for forcing them out.
The group, including Chuka Umunna, said the stance on Brexit and anti-Semitism meant they had to leave.
Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie, Luciana Berger, Angela Smith, Ann Coffey, Gavin Shuker and Mike Gapes resigned their memberships in protest at the leader’s stance on Brexit, national security and anti-Semitism.
The co-ordinated move will have major implications for the Brexit debate and could increase the likelihood of a snap general election.
Resisting calls to trigger by-elections in their constituencies, the seven MPs will sit under the banner The Independent Group in the most significant split in British politics since the breakaway of the Social Democratic Party in 1981.
Berger admitted it had been “a very difficult, painful, but necessary decision” triggered after she became “embarrassed and ashamed to remain in the Labour Party”.
Speaking first, the heavily pregnant MP – who has endured a torrent of anti-Semitic abuse – said: “I have not changed.
“The core values of equality for all, opportunity for all, anti-racism against all and social justice – the values which I hold really dear and which led me to join the Labour Party as a student almost 20 years ago – remain who I am.
“And yet these values have been consistently and constantly violated, undermined and attacked, as the Labour Party today refuses to put my constituents and our country before party interests.
“I cannot remain in a party which I have come to the sickening conclusion is institutionally anti-Semitic.”
Expectation of a Labour split had been building for months but the breakaway became official at 10.05am yesterday.
The seven sent individual emails to party HQ resigning their memberships seconds before walking on stage at London’s County Hall to confirm their decision.
Leslie, a former shadow chancellor, claimed Labour had been “hijacked by the machine politics of the hard left”. Gapes said he was “sickened that the Labour Party is now a racist, anti-Semitic party” and “furious that the Labour leadership is complicit in facilitating Brexit”. Coffey said: “Any criticism of the leadership is responded to with abuse and accusations of treachery.” Backing the views of Berger and Gapes, she added: “Anti-Semitism is rife and tolerated.”
Luton South MP Shuker believed the party leadership was “riddled with anti-Semitism” and “presents a threat to our national security and it’s perfectly content to enable the hard Tory Brexit that will directly and negatively affect people in Luton”.
Addressing potential converts directly, one-time Labour leadership hopeful Umunna said: “We’ve taken the first step in leaving the old tribal politics behind and we invite others who share our political values to do so too.”
The group had “moral” worries about standing under the Labour umbrella with Corbyn as leader, believing he would be a threat to national security if he became prime minister.
The dramatic developments also exposed splits between Corbyn and
his deputy Tom Watson over how to respond to the crisis.
Watson lashed out at the handling of anti-Semitism allegations, saying Berger was a victim of “a virulent form of identity politics that has seized the Labour Party”.
Admitting he felt “deep sadness” at the resignations, he insisted the seven were not “traitors”.
Watson said: “I confess I feared this day would come – and I fear now that unless we change, we may see more days like this.
“I am sad to say that a virulent form of identity politics has seized the Labour Party, which today took its first casualty.
“I would like to place on record my complete respect for Luciana and my understanding of the decision to which she has been driven.”
But Corbyn resisted calls to change his policy positions – and blasted the seven who broke away. He said he was “disappointed that these MPs have felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share since 1945”. He added: “Labour won people over on a programme for the many not the few – redistributing wealth and power, taking vital resources into public ownership, investing in every region and nation, and tackling climate change. “The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit while Labour has set out a unifying and credible alternative plan. “When millions are facing the misery of Universal Credit, rising crime, homelessness and poverty, now more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future for us all.”
Unite boss Len McCluskey said there was a “strong whiff of hypocrisy” about the resignations and claimed the ”splitters” had “no stomach for a fight for Labour’s core values”.
The Corbyn ally added: “The issue about anti-Semitism is grossly unfair.”
But union chief Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, urged the party to “look long and hard” at why the gang of seven had walked.
He said: “The party must get its act together over Brexit and ensure the country is spared the calamity of a no deal.
“Crashing out of Europe would be disastrous for public services and ordinary people across the country, and it must be stopped.”
Laura Parker, national coordinator of the pro-Corbyn Momentum campaign, said: “These MPs want to take us back to the politics of the past.
“With a back-to-the-Blair-years programme of privatisation, tax cuts for the rich and deregulation of the banks, they offer no concrete solutions, no new ideas and have no support amongst the public.”
We’ve taken the first step in leaving the old tribal politics behind CHUKA UMUNNA ON LEAVING THE LABOUR PARTY