Labour MP Frank Field has resigned from the party’s group in Parliament, warning that the party is becoming a “force for anti-Semitism”.
“The first centres on the latest example of Labour’s leadership becoming a force for anti-Semitism in British politics,” the veteran MP wrote, citing what he claims were “a series of attempts by Jeremy [Corbyn] to deny that past statements and actions by him were anti-Semitic”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
“Britain fought the Second World War to banish these views from our politics, but that superhuman effort and success is now under huge and sustained internal attack,” Field added.
He cited as his second reason “a culture of intolerance, nastiness and intimidation now reigns in too many parts of the Party nationally”.
Field, who remains a member of the Labour Party, will now sit as an “Independent Labour Member” for Birkenhead, becoming the third Labour MP to quit the party whip this year.
Labour sources in Parliament say the resignation could trigger a “full-scale existential crisis of the Labour Party”, amid reports of a “potential parliamentary breakaway by MPs furious at the party leadership’s handling of anti-Semitism”, according to The Independent.
Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, said Field’s move was a “serious loss” to the party that “reflects both the deep divisions in the party and the sense of drift engulfing us.
“It is a major wake-up call. We cannot afford to lose people of such weight and stature,” Watson warned in a statement.
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
'Fossil-fired grids have provided a cautionary tale'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
-
Who stands to gain – and lose – from 16-year-old voters?Today's Big Question Many assume Labour will benefit but move could 'backfire' if Greens, a new hard-left party or Reform continue to pick up momentum
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Mortgage reform: is Rachel Reeves betting the house on City rules shake-up?Today's Big Question Reforms could create up to 36,000 additional mortgages next year
-
Corbynism returns: a new party on the LeftTalking Point Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's breakaway progressive party has already got off to a shaky start
-
How will Labour pay for welfare U-turn?Today's Big Question A dramatic concession to Labour rebels has left the government facing more fiscal dilemmas
