Labour MPs quit over Brexit support

A group of MPs from Britain’s opposition Labour Party broke away on Monday in protest at leader Jeremy Corbyn’s support for Brexit and his failure to stamp out antiSemitism.

A group of MPs from Britain’s opposition Labour Party broke away on Monday in protest at leader Jeremy Corbyn’s support for Brexit and his failure to stamp out anti-Semitism.

The seven MPs included Chuka Umunna, who has led a campaign for a second referendum that could stop Brexit and was once seen as a potential leader of the centre-left party.

Umunna called for a centrist “alternative” in British politics as the rebel MPs complained about the far-left turn the party had taken under Corbyn.

“The bottom line is this: politics is broken, it doesn’t have to be this way, let’s change it,” Umunna said at a media conference in London.

The seven MPs will form a breakaway independent group in parliament, undermining Corbyn as he attempts to steer the party through the highly divisive issue of Brexit.

The Labour rebellion is unlikely to make a major difference in crucial votes on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, but pro-EU forces welcomed the move.

Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said he was “open to working with likeminded groups and individuals in order to give the people the final say on Brexit, with the option to remain in the EU”.

Corbyn said he was “disappointed”. Pointing to his party’s strong performance in the 2017 general election, he said: “Now more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future for us all.”

Corbyn is under fire from Europhiles for failing to push for a second referendum. Instead, he called on May to negotiate a customs union with the EU to ease trade ties after Brexit.

He has also been criticised for months for his handling of cases of anti-Semitism in the party and his past associations with Palestinian militants.

Another of the seven MPs, Luciana Berger, a victim of antiSemitic abuse for years, said the Labour Party had become “institutionally anti-Semitic”.

“I have become embarrassed and ashamed to represent the Labour Party. I am leaving behind a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation,” she said.

MP Mike Gapes said one of his main reasons for leaving was that he was “furious that the Labour leadership is complicit in facilitating Brexit”.

Colleague Chris Leslie said that he was leaving because of “Labour’s betrayal on Europe”.

I HAVE BECOME EMBARRASSED AND ASHAMED. I AM LEAVING BEHIND A CULTURE OF BULLYING, BIGOTRY AND INTIMIDATION