Labour defector Chuka Umunna hits out at Tories and Labour
Labour defector Chuka Umunna hits out at Conservatives for becoming ‘Blukip’ and Labour for ‘disgraceful antisemitism’
- Chuka Umunna has vowed to ‘forge a new kind of politics’ with his new group
- The Streatham MP defected from Labour to found The Independent Group
- He blasted the Conservatives for becoming ‘Blukip’ and Labour for ‘antisemitism’
Chuka Umunna has vowed to ‘forge a new kind of politics’ with The Independent Group – hitting out at tribalism, ‘Blukip’ and ‘disgraceful antisemitism’.
The Streatham MP, who defected from Labour to found The Independent Group, said that it was now clear ‘for all to see’ that ‘politics is broken’, warning of the dangers of tribalism and incompetence.
Writing for The Mirror, Mr Umunna said: ‘Where the established parties are out of touch and remote from people’s everyday lives, we’re a group of ordinary people who are seeking to do something which Westminster has forgotten how to do – represent modern Britain.’
He goes on to say: ‘The Tories have morphed into “Blukip” where Jacob Rees-Mogg’s ERG hold all the cards and the proud One Nation tradition has been lost.
‘With Labour, we’ve seen disgraceful antisemitism flourish in a climate where no criticism of the party leadership is tolerated.’
Chuka Umunna has vowed to ‘forge a new kind of politics’ with The Independent Group – and hit out at tribalism, ‘Blukip’ and ‘disgraceful antisemitism’
Mr Umunna says that however people voted in the 2016 referendum, the Brexit process had revealed ‘the failures of both Labour and the Tories’, leaving nobody happy with the results.
He adds that he is proud that The Independent Group, ‘in contrast to the heavily male-dominated Conservative and Labour Parties in Parliament’, is two thirds female.
Conservatives would win a 34-seat majority if a General…
‘Go, NOW’: Pressure mounts as Labour MP gives Corbyn ‘shape…
Jeremy Corbyn calls on Tony Blair’s old flatmate Lord…
‘We are not a political party (yet) and we are leaderless’:…
Share this article
Mr Umunna says The Independent Group will ‘forge a new, different kind of politics for Britain’s future’, echoing the Labour Gang of Four who announced the formation of the SDP in 1981.
His comments come as a Mail on Sunday poll revealed Mr Umunna as a favourite to win the leadership of the new group.
The Mail on Sunday poll puts the Conservatives on 39 per cent and Labour on 31 per cent – and ranks Chuka Umunna as the favourite to lead The Independent Group
After a week of political drama saw both main parties lose MPs to the new grouping, The Mail on Sunday poll put the Conservatives on 39 per cent and Labour on 31 per cent to win a General Election.
The survey by Deltapoll revealed The Independent Group (TIG) came in third with 11 per cent.
The poll makes Mr Umunna the most popular choice for leader on 13 per cent, followed by his Commons colleague Angela Smith on 5 per cent and Tory Anna Soubry on 4 per cent.
The size of the ‘Don’t Knows’ – at 63 per cent – illustrates the difficulty that the largely unknown MPs will have in achieving a public profile.
Currently The Independent Group consists of eight former Labour MPs and three former Conservatives.
The Mirror reports that the Liberal Democrats pledged to work with the group and their 11 MPs would swell numbers to 22 in the event of a merger.
An additional nine Labour MPs are said to be considering leaving the party, along with four Conservatives – which would bring the new group to 35 MPs.
Source: Read Full Article