The Independent Group was 7 now 11 has 3 Conservative MPs Join the Breakaway Political Group.
Conservative MPs Resigned to Join The Independent Group
Anna Soubry Independent MP
Conservatives Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen have resigned from the Conservative Party and have joined the 8 ex Labour Party MPs in the new Independent group.
Seven Labour Party MPs resigned on the 18th February with Joan Ryan Labour MP joining them a day later. The reasons given for their resignation from the party was over the Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s style of party politics, the far left antisemitic movement within the party and the Labour leaders position on Brexit as the main crux of them leaving their political party.
The resigning Labour MPs are
Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey.
Now 2 days after the Labour Party received 8 resignations, the Conservative Party have Lost 3 of their MPs and have joined along side the Labour resignee to be apart of the breakaway Independent Group.
It’s interesting times in UK politics with now 8 Labour MPs and 3 Conservative MPs splitting from their parties to go independent and start a new Independent Group, but more interesting is the main reason for the split with the ex Labour MPs claiming their reasons for leaving the Labour party is due to it’s far left stance and the Conservative leaving MPs claiming their party is being steering to far to the right.
Luciana Berger Independent MP
MP Luciana Berger has been personally affected by far left antisemitism within the Labour party.
There is no doubt that the UK is in much need of a new political movement as more of the British electorate become politically homeless, but with how British politics is set up with it’s first past the post system, could a new party make headway in the hostile political sphere and will this new political group even start a party together to enter the political ring.
Chuka Umunna Resigned the Labour Party to Join The Independent Group
Chuka Umunna Independent MP
With Chuka Umunna and now Anna Soubry taking the forefront position in this new Independent Group, it’s safe to assume that if these 11 Independent MPs did form an official party to stand in a general election across the country, they will stand on a platform as a pro EU party, meaning leave voters will still be politically homeless.
The pro-Remain trio will join the new Independent Group – made up of eight Labour MPs who resigned from their party over its handling of Brexit and antisemitism.
These MPs rebellion will undoubtedly impact their parties directly with the immediate loss of 8 Labour seats and 3 Conservative seats, but will it really produce a political storm or be nothing more than a wet weekend?
Chuka Umunna said they had “taken the first step” in “building a new politics”. Urging other Labour MPs, as well as members of other political parties to join them, but is it just wishful thinking on the part of these now 11 ex Labour and Conservative MPs that they will get the numbers needed to make a difference in British politics and more importantly, can they really get along? Can the left and the right meet in the middle even if they are center of those positions?
The Independent Group
Can a new cross party political movement work. Chuka and co are certainly hoping others will be shaken loose from the grip of their safe seats and political power by their bold move, but can a new political group be birthed from the ashes of these ex party MPs? Past examples in history of rebellions and the forming of new parties in the UK, like the SDP that formed in the early 80’s, have a low survival rate in the British political system would suggest not and probably it’s going to be a steep climb for The Independent Group.
