Labour’s Magnificent Seven just made a no-deal Brexit more likely February 19, 2019 I am old enough to recall the “Gang of Four” in the eighties, when Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rogers left Labour to set up the Social Democratic Party. We know that all ended acrimoniously, with a reverse takeover by David Steel’s Liberal Party that created the Liberal Democrats. This week, we [...]
Jeremy Corbyn: MPs who split didn’t take opportunities to influence Labour policies February 19, 2019 Jeremy Corbyn says he “regrets” the decision of seven MPs to quit Labour but insisted they had ample opportunity to influence the direction of the party. In his first public appearance since Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey, Angela Smith, Gavin Shukar, Mike Gapes and Chuka Umunna broke away from the party yesterday, the Labour [...]
Jeremy Corbyn warned of more Labour defections as MPs ‘think hard’ about future February 19, 2019 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been warned that more of his MPs will jump ship unless he listens to their concerns over Brexit and anti-semitism. Ian Austin, Ian Murray and Tom Watson were among the MPs sounding the alarm bells today following the decision of seven Labour MPs to quite the party to form a [...]
DEBATE: Have the Labour splitters helped the Conservative party? February 19, 2019 Have the Labour splitters helped the Conservative party? Lauren McEvatt, managing director at Morpeth Consulting, says YES. After the next election, the UK government will either be run by the Labour party or the Tory party. That’s the reality of the electoral system. The seven Labour splitters have denounced the modern Labour party as bullies, [...]
A real Labour split won’t guarantee a surge in sterling February 19, 2019 Investors who are predicting a sterling rally if there if a full-blown split in the UK’s opposition party are likely to be sorely mistaken. The Labour party has leaned increasingly to the left since Jeremy Corbyn took the reins in 2015. Many currency experts have warned about his policies, saying that they fear a Labour [...]
The Labour splitters won’t redraw the political map, but they do raise awkward questions February 18, 2019 After years of infighting, threats, and a couple of failed coups, seven Labour MPs have taken the difficult and courageous decision to quit the party, sitting in the Commons as a new “Independent Group”. Their disillusionment with Labour has many sources, from a failure to confront antisemitism to the party’s muddled stance on Brexit, from [...]
Jewish Labour MP breaks down in tears as she urges party to change February 18, 2019 A Jewish Labour MP broke down in tears as she begged her party leadership to do more to tackle anti-semitism, Ruth Smeeth made the emotional plea at a meeting of Labour MPs held just hours after seven of her colleagues quit the party, dubbing it institutionally anti-semitic and intolerant. The Stoke North MP challenged Labour [...]
Labour’s Tom Watson warns more MPs will quit unless the party changes February 18, 2019 Labour’s deputy leader has warned more MPs will quit the party if it does not tackle anti-semitism and broaden its appeal. Speaking after seven MPs announced they had resigned from Labour, Tom Watson delivered a sobering assessment of the civil war engulfing the party as he called for “kinder and gentler” politics from Jeremy Corbyn’s [...]
Labour MPs expected to resign today over divisions on Brexit and antisemitism February 18, 2019 Rumblings of a Labour party split look set to reach a head as sources told the media the disaffected MPs would resign today. Senior party sources told the BBC that the leadership was expecting a handful to resignations while Sky News said the group would make a statement later this morning on "the future of British politics". Those [...]
Labour moderates are approaching breaking point February 17, 2019 Michael Dugher has been a member of the Labour party for 28 years and was a Labour MP from 2010-2017. Before entering parliament he worked in Downing Street for Gordon Brown. This week, he is resigning from the party – citing Jeremy Corbyn's failure to deal with anti-Semitism. Dugher says “the Labour party I joined [...]