Seven lawmakers quit Labour over EU, anti-Semitism

LONDON >> Seven British lawmakers quit the main opposition Labour Party on Monday over its approach to issues including Brexit and antiSemitism — the biggest shake-up in years for one of Britain’s major political parties.

The announcement ripped open a long-simmering rift between socialists and centrists in the party, which sees itself as the representative of Britain’s working class.

Many Labour lawmakers have been unhappy with the party’s direction under leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist who took charge in 2015 with strong grass-roots backing. They accuse Corbyn of mounting a weak opposition to Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans for leaving the European Union, and of failing to stamp out a vein of anti-Semitism in the party.

The quitters represent a small fraction of Labour’s 256 lawmakers, or of the 650 total members of Parliament.