McDonnell calls on breakaway MPs to do ‘honourable thing’ and fight by-elections
Labour's shadow chancellor urges seven parliamentarians to fight for their seats after standing down from the party
The seven MPs who quit Labour have been challenged to stand in by-elections.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell called on the breakaway group to do “the honourable thing” and fight to retain their seats.
Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey quit Labour over issues including Brexit and anti-Semitism in order to sit as The Independent Group in Parliament.
Mr McDonnell told the BBC: “All of these MPs stood on our manifesto in 2017, they all increased their majorities.
“Now they are on a different platform, so the honourable thing, the usual thing, for them to do now is to stand down and fight by-elections back in their constituencies.”
The call was rejected by the group of MPs, who said the “crisis” of Brexit meant elections would be a distraction.
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband said he deeply regretted the decision made by his former colleagues, while Unison union general secretary Dave Prentis said the split was “terrible news”.
But Unite union boss Len McCluskey hit out at the “splitters” who had “no stomach for a fight for Labour’s core values”.
r McCluskey said there was a “strong whiff of hypocrisy” about the resignations.
He told the BBC that the MPs had stood on a manifesto which promised to respect the 2016 referendum and “all of their heartbreak about what’s happened in Brexit sounds a little bit hollow”.
He added “the issue about anti-Semitism, I just think, is grossly unfair” because Labour general secretary Jennie Formby has “done more in the few months that she has been in office than previous administrations”.
“History will judge them,” Mr McCluskey added.
But Unison’s Mr Prentis said Labour had to understand what had led the MPs to quit and “get its act together over Brexit”.
“Labour’s overriding concern must be to look long and hard at the reasons why the MPs feel they are no longer able to stay in the party,” he said.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, said the seven MPs had decided to “walk out into the political wilderness”.
Mr Miliband, whose defeat at the 2015 general election led to Mr Corbyn being voted in as his successor, said: “I deeply regret the decision of my former colleagues to leave Labour.
“Labour’s values are still my values and a Labour government is the best hope for the country we need. Labour must and will continue to be a broad church as it has always been.”
Labour MP Alison McGovern, chairwoman of the Progress group which is seen as the Blairite wing of the party, said she was “saddened” by the resignations.
“Progress will continue to argue for members to stay in the party – a task that is obviously made harder by some of the abuse and intolerance that has been shown towards so many who simply want to debate ideas and stand up for basic values such as our internationalism and our abhorrence of anti-Semitism and racism,” she said.
Tory Party chairman Brandon Lewis said the resignations confirmed that Labour had “changed irreversibly” under Mr Corbyn.
“Labour has become the Jeremy Corbyn Party – failing to take action on everything from tackling anti-Jewish racism to keeping our country safe,” he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said his party was open to working with “like-minded groups” on getting a second Brexit referendum.
He said: “It is not unexpected, or unwelcome, that a group of Labour MPs have decided to break away from Corbyn’s Labour, in part motivated by his refusal to follow the party’s policy on Brexit.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
