Local politicians "sad" at resignations to join the Independent Group

Yesterday news from Westminster confirmed that Conservative MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston had left the party to join the newly-formed Independent Group.

In their joint letter to Prime Minister Theresa May they spoke of their concern that party policy was “so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP”.

They also pointed to the “Government’s disastrous handling of Brexit”.

The trio became the ninth, tenth and eleventh MPs to leave their parties following the resignation of seven Labour MPs on Monday and a further one on Tuesday.

Labour MPs who have so far left the party are:

• Luciana Berger - Had concerns about the Labour leadership’s handling of anti-Semitism and its Brexit position
• Ann Coffey - Claimed the party was “no longer a broad church” and that “any criticism of the leadership is responded to with abuse and accusations of treachery.” She also said anti-Semitism was rife and tolerated within the party
• Gavin Shuker - Claimed the party was riddled with anti-Semitism and was “content to enable the hard Tory Brexit”
• Chris Leslie - Said the party had been “hijacked by the machine politics of the hard left”
• Angela Smith - Claimed that Labour no longer stands for giving working class people “a fair crack of the whip and opportunities to succeed”
• Chuka Umunna - His message was “politics is broken. It doesn’t have to be this way. Lets change it.”
• Mike Gapes - Said he was “sickened” the party is now seen as racist and anti-Semetic, that the Labour leadership was complicit in facilitating Brexit, and that a Corbyn Labour Government would threaten national security
• Joan Ryan - Ms Ryan slammed Jeremy Corbyn’s approach to Brexit and said the Labour Party had become “infected” with anti-Semitism

MP for Carlisle, John Stevenson, said: “I am disappointed to lose three of my colleagues and sad to see them go. They left on an issue of policy. My party represents a broadchurch.”

The MP added that the Labour resignations were due to deep-rooted anti-Semitism within the party and a split between the centre left and hard left.

Conservative MP for Copeland, Trudy Harrison, said: “I am very saddened to lose three distinguished and hard-working colleagues from the Conservative benches.

“In my view the party will always be a broad church that allows for and respects sensible political opinion.”

Gareth Ellis, who is a Conservative Carlisle city councillor for the Belah ward, said: “Hopefully there will be a point in the future that the things we all agree on we can use to come back together.”

He added that Brexit had brought out the worst in politics.

‘Party not racist’, says city councillor

A LOCAL Labour councillor has refuted the claim that the party is institutionally anti-Semetic and racist. 
Harraby councillor Jo Ellis-Williams said: “I can understand their reasons for leaving. There is an issue for Luciana Berger, as anti-Semitism has been a real problem for her. 
“I don’t know if leaving is the best option, but I fully believe it is what they wanted to do at the time.
“They are in conflict with the way the Labour Party has gone over the last few years.”
She continued: “I don’t think it has been dealt with as much as it should have been. 
“I agree with Tom Watson that we do need to do more. 
“I don’t think the party is institutionally racist or anti-Semetic.”
Mrs Ellis-Williams added: “We do need to deal with it and stand up to it.”
The councillor says it is difficult to say whether she would do the same if she was in the same position as the MPs. 
“If you put yourself in their position you have to sympathise. 
“They are not going to achieve anything in the next election, they will stand as independents and the Labour Party will select new candidates and there will be new Labour MPs in those constituencies.”
Cllr Ellis Williams went on to say: “While they may disagree with the leadership, I am sure they still agree with Labour values. 
“The politics are still there, they have just moved further away from that.”