Labour crisis as seven MPs break away to defy Corbyn
Other MPs urged to follow after new group formed
LABOUR HAS been plunged into turmoil after seven of its backbench MPs quit the party and urged others to follow.
At a press conference in Westminster, the group resigned to create a new Independent Group in the House of Commons, in the most significant split in British politics since the breakaway of the Social Democratic Party in the 1980s.
And one of the project’s central figures, Chuka Umunna, sparked concern within Labour ranks as he called on his former colleagues to desert Jeremy Corbyn and join the new movement.
Speaking at an event in Westminster, Mr Umunna appealed directly to voters, saying: “For far too long, political parties in Westminster – parties of which we have been a part – have been failing you.
“If you are sick and tired of politics as usual, guess what? So are we.”
Urging other MPs to follow him and leave the party, Mr Umunna added: “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 Yorkshire Post understands that some senior Labour figures are braced for more resignations over the coming days as other marginalised MPs plot to damage the leadership with waves of defections.
The splitters also included Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Angela Smith who blamed the Labour leader’s socialist ideology for her departure. She told reporters: “Most people are like my family. They do not want to be patronised by left-wing intellectuals, who think being poor and working class constitutes a state of grace.”
The group also included Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey, who are from the party’s centrist wing and have been the loudest critics of Mr Corbyn’s stance on Brexit as well as his handling of allegations of anti-Semitism.
The MPs issued an appeal to colleagues from all side of the political divide to “leave the old tribal politics behind” and join their new movement.
Ms Berger, who has been the target of a stream of anti-Jewish abuse, said she had come to the “sickening” conclusion that the party was now “institutionally anti-Semitic”.
Reacting to the split, Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the seven MPs should do “the honourable thing” and stand down to fight by-elections in their constituencies.
However, the demand was rejected by the group, with Mr Leslie telling the BBC’s World At One that more elections were the last thing needed “at this moment of crisis”.
In a statement, Mr Corbyn said: “I am 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.
“The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit, while Labour has set out a unifying and credible alternative plan.”
Just hours after the announcement, Ms Smith was forced to issue a public apology after appearing to make a racially insensitive remark on the BBC’s Politics Live show.
In a video released on social media, the MP said she was “sorry about any offence caused” after she was accused of describing black people as having a “funny” tint or tinge in a discussion about black and minority ethnic voters.
If you are sick and tired of politics as usual, guess what? So are we.
One of the group of seven MPs to quit Labour, Chuka Umunna.
THE RESIGNATION of seven Labour MPs marked the most significant split in British politics since the 1980s breakaway that led to the emergence of the Social Democratic Party. In fact, for many, yesterday’s events will revive memories of that very divide.
Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey, all MPs from the current Labour party’s centrist wing, quit to sit as an independent group in Parliament, criticising Jeremy Corbyn for his leadership, stance on Brexit and his handling of allegations of antiSemitism. It undoubtedly draws parallels with 1981, when the SDP was founded by centrist Labour MPs dismayed by the party’s shift to the left under then leader Michael Foot.
The SDP was blamed by many on the left for splitting the “progressive” vote and helping Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives to dominate UK politics throughout the 1980s. Yesterday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, was among members of Labour to share similar fears. “When the Labour party splits, it only leads to one outcome
– a Tory Government,” he wrote on social media. Yet, whilst there are concerns that history could repeat itself, there is at least one significant difference between the situation 40 years ago and the breakaway today; the “Gang of Four” who founded the SDP had all been Government cabinet ministers, arguably giving them much greater political clout than the seven who defected yesterday. Still, their resignations should not be dismissed. They represent disquiet at a time of political turmoil, with divisions evident both between and within parties as the EU withdrawal stalemate rumbles on.
With the defected members urging others to leave their parties and join them during such a fractious period, the longterm impact of the divide remains to be seen.