Why has Louise Ellman quit Labour?

Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman has quit the Labour Party, saying Jeremy Corbyn is “not fit” to become prime minister.

Ellman, who is Jewish, told The Times that she had been “deeply troubled” by the “growth of anti-Semitism” within the party under Corbyn’s leadership.

She later tweeted: “I have made the truly agonising decision to leave the Labour Party after 55 years. I can no longer advocate voting Labour when it risks Corbyn becoming PM. I will continue to serve the people of Liverpool Riverside as I have had the honour to do since 1997.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For more political analysis - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues free–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In a resignation letter posted online, Ellman accused Corbyn of allowing “anti-Jewish racism to flourish”.

“Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, anti-Semitism has become mainstream in the Labour party,” she wrote. “Jewish members have been bullied, abused and driven out. Antisemites have felt comfortable and vile conspiracy theories have been propagated.”

The MP added: “The overwhelming majority of the Jewish community is fearful of what a Corbyn government might mean for Britain’s Jews. I share those concerns.”

Ellman said that she would not join another party, and hoped that “under different leadership I will be able to return to my political home”.

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg has described Ellman’s letter as “extraordinary”.

The ongoing row over alleged anti-Semitism within Labour has seen a number of MPs resign from the party. Luciana Berger quit in February after facing anti-Semitic abuse over her criticism of the Labour leadership.

Just days later, Ian Austin announced that he was also leaving, citing a “culture of extremism, anti-Semitism and intolerance” in the party.

Responding to the latest resignation, Labour’s Harriet Harman said on Twitter that Ellman’s decision to quit was “very sad news”. In another tweet, Harman added that the news “should make every one of us in the Labour Party feel dismayed and ashamed”.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said on Twitter: “I’ve known Louise for 30 years. She was…a skilful opponent and utterly dedicated to the Labour movement. If there’s no place for Louise Ellman in the 2019 Labour Party, they are finished as a serious force.”

And Labour MP Ruth Smeeth released a statement saying she was “disgusted” and “devastated…that another Jewish woman has been hounded out of our party”.

Meanwhile, Labour thanked Ellman for her years of service to the party and said it was taking “robust action” against anti-Semitism.

“Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community and continue to take robust action to root out anti-Semitism in the party and wider society,” a spokesperson said.