Seven British Labour MPs have resigned from the party. Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes, Ann Coffey and Chuka Umunna confirmed their resignations at a press conference in London. Ms Berger initially introduced herself as “the Labour Party MP”, before correcting herself and saying: “I am the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree”.
She said: “This morning we have all now resigned from the Labour Party. This has been a very difficult, painful, but necessary decision. “We represent different parts of the country, we are of different backgrounds, we were born of different generations, but we all share the same values.
“From today, we will all sit in Parliament as a new independent group of MPs.”
She told the press conference that she has been ashamed of the Labour Party and cannot remain in a party, which is institutionally anti-semitic. Ms Berger said she is leaving behind a culture of “bullying” and “bigotry”.
Mr Corbyn said he is disappointed by their decision to leave the party.
Reacting to the resignations, 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″. He said: “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.”
As the MPs announced their departure from Labour, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, whose new Brexit Party launched earlier this year, tweeted: “This moment may not look very exciting but it is the beginning of something bigger in British politics #realignment.”
Mr Umunna called on MPs from Labour and other parties to “leave the old tribal politics behind” and join the new independent group. “It is time we dumped this country’s old-fashioned politics and created an alternative that does justice to who we are today and gives this country a politics fit for the here and now, the 21st century not the last one,” he 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. “You might come from a Labour background but you might come from other political traditions. Yes, it’s a difficult decision – make no mistake about that.
“But you don’t join a political party to spend years and years fighting the people within it. You get involved in politics, you join a party, to change the world. “We invite you to leave your parties and help us forge a new consensus on a way forward for Britain.” Another of the group of seven, Chris Leslie, said the Labour Party”we joined is no longer the same” and was “hijacked by the extreme left”.
