Labour and Jeremy Corbyn has been rocked by the news that seven MPs have quit the party.
MPs Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Anne Coffey and Angela Smith have decided to resign as members of the Labour Party and stand as independent MPs, dubbing themselves “The Independent Group”.
The move means the MPs will no longer follow instructions from Mr Corbyn on how to vote on Brexit and other issues in Parliament.
The band of anti-Brexit MPs took turns in laying out at Country Hall in Westminster on Monday morning why they felt they could no longer remain a member of the Labour Party, which they said had been taken over the “extreme left”.
Mr Umunna, once touted as a future leader of the party, said a “fundamental change” was needed but that Labour nor the Conservative Party could provide the solution “because they have become the problem”.
The Streatham MP said it was “time to dump” the two-party system that dominates Westminster politics. He said: “We’ve taken the first step in leaving the old tribal politics behind and we invite others to do so too.”
The group are so far rejecting that they are a new party but the ex-Labour MPs will be meeting in the coming days to talk about their direction.