Rebels quit UK Labour over anti-Semitism claims

Seven British Labour MPs have resigned, angered by the party’s anti-Semitic undertones and Brexit position.

Chris Leslie and Luciana Berger last night after announcing they and five other MPs were leaving the British Labour Party. Picture: AFP

British politics was shaken to its core when seven rebel MPs from the Labour Party abruptly resigned, accusing the party of unacceptable anti-Semitic leanings and a failure to oppose Brexit.

The seven have formed their own centrist group called The Independent Group but had not yet registered it with the Electoral Commission. The seven have styled themselves as “the sensible centre ground” amid a divergence of politics to the right and the left. One of the seven, Luciana Berger, accused the Labour Party of racism, saying she couldn’t remain in a party that was institutionally anti-Semitic and that had a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation.

“I am embarrassed and ashamed to be in the Labour Party,” said Ms Berger.

“I cannot remain in a party that I have come to the sickening conclusion that is sickenly antisemitic.” Others who resigned from the Labour Party were Chuka Umunna, Angela Smith Mike Gapes, Ann Coffey, Chris Leslie and Gavin Shuker.

The seven claimed that the Labour Party was obsessed with outdated ideology and hard left ideals.

It is possible the Independent Group could merge with the Liberal Democrats and attract some disaffected Tory Remain politicians, with Liberal democrat Tim Farron tweeting: “The two big parties today combine extremism with incompetence just at a time when we need something far better. The seven MPs forming @TheIndGroup have shown real courage, they deserve respect, I look forward to working with them.”

The 2 big parties today combine extremism with incompetence just at a time when we need something far better. The 7 MPs forming @TheIndGroup have shown real courage, they deserve respect, I look forward to working with them

— Tim Farron (@timfarron) February 18, 2019

But in the immediate aftermath there was drama when one of the seven rebels, Angela Smith, described non white people as having “a funny tin” pulling herself up before finishing her intended word tint or tinge and adding, “you know, a different, from the BAME (black, Asian and minority ethic) community”. She later apologised for “misspeaking”.

While the seven politicians were broadcast live announcing their defections, and urging other disaffected MPs to join them, an unknown male voice was heard on BBC television channels saying: “Between this and Brexit we are actually f..ked. It’s going to be so divided. The Conservatives are going to win.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “Due to an error, we inadvertently broadcast some background comments from another microphone during our coverage of the press conference this morning. We apologised on air once we realised our mistake.”

The Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has demanded the rebels face by-elections: “all of these MPs stood on our manifesto in 2017 — Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto. They all increased their majorities. Now they’re on a different platform so the honourable thing, the usual thing for them to do now, is for them to stand down and fight by-elections back in their constituencies.”

His view was supported by Len McLuskey, the general secretary of Unite union who said the massive increases in their popularity at the last election was not because of their personal charisma. “It was because of a manifesto which promised to respect the 2016 referendum and take us out of Europe, so all of their heartbreak sounds a little bit hollow,” he said.

But Ms Smith said voters feel “politically homeless and badly let down and not adequately represented at Westminster”.

She added: “the feeling is that Labour has shifted to the hard left and the Tory party is lurching to the hard right and the Lib Dems lost interest of voters years ago. We feel a responsibility to break away and rebuild trust in politics and build a movement around our values and build a better future.”

The Independent Group is hoping the chaos surrounding Brexit and the breakup of traditional party lines over ongoing Brexit issues will help boost their new group, which is closer to the New Labour movement of Tony Blair. Mr Umunna, once touted as a potential Labour leader, urged other politicians from other parties to join them and leave old tribal politics behind. “It is time we dumped this country’s old-fashioned politics,” he said, saying that the new political party “is first of the here and now”. He added: “We invite you to leave your party and forge a new consensus on a way forward for Britain.

“You don’t join a political party to fight the people within it”.

The new group will have its first formal meeting in the coming days and decide whether to elect a leader.

Mr Corbyn issued a swift response. “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.”

Mr Corbyn insisted the Conservative government is bungling Brexit while Labour had a unifying and credible alternative plan.

But another rebel Mr Leslie said of Mr Corbyn: “To them, the world divides between oppressor and oppressed, class enemies, when in truth the modern world is more complicated than this.”

His colleague Mr Gapes, a member of the Labour Party for half a century, added his reasons for now leaving: “I am sickened that the Labour Party is now a racist anti-Semitic party. I’m furious that the Labour leadership is now complicit in facilitating Brexit.”

The Labour Party has been struggling with the anti Semitic claims for the past few years. This year, after a long running row, Labour finally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, but included a caveat saying this should not undermine free speech on Israel.