Umunna: ‘both parties broken’

group. “We are absolutely clear we will do what it takes to defend our country and to make the right decisions. We are pro-West, and we are not antiliberal. We believe in Nato. You will not see members of our group parroting propaganda of states hostile to the UK like the leadership of Labour.”

Also at the heart of TIG’s principles is more regional power. “We do far too much centrally in Westminster,” says Mr Umunna. “We should give the regions much more power. “Personally I think we should have more of a German federal model.”

Mr Umunna was well aware of the criticisms the TIG project had already begun to face — as an SDP mark II or an attempt to revive Tony Blair’s New Labour. “People try to compare us to the SDP in the 1980s — but that’s not appropriate. Those were establishment figures. We are a group of 11 individuals from varied backgrounds.”

Mr Blair, he said, had no idea about the TIG until they announced they were quitting Labour at a dramatic press conference on February 18.

“We are not defined by the 1990s or by other party leaders,” he added. “We are our own people now — that’s incredibly liberating.”

But Mr Umunna admitted he was under no illusion that some, if not all, of the group risk losing their parliamentary seats were there to be a general election. “What we’ve done may mean we are not MPs after the next general election. It’s a big risk. But we are all prepared to lose our jobs for our values and our principles and what we think is best for Britain.”