After seven Members of Parliament quit the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour party Monday citing concerns over his Brexit policy and rampant anti-Semitism, speculation over which other MPs might follow has grown to include Conservative remainers.
While Labour leader Corbyn himself has said little other than expressing his disappointment after the defections, which saw seven members of his party break away into the new Independent Group citing issues with his leadership including the ongoing anti-Semitism scandal, Corbyn ally and party deputy Tom Watson was quick to speak up and say if the party failed to change, there could be more defections.
De-facto leader of the Independents Chukka Umunna claimed: “a lot of Labour MPs” could decide to join the new group and also made a coded invitation to Europhile Conservative MPs in his resignation speech, calling on those from “other political traditions” to make the leap. Speaking Tuesday morning he was more explicit, stating: “There are clearly a lot of Labour MPs wrestling with their conscience, and conservatives who are demoralised for the Ukip-isation of [the] party.”
State Broadcaster the BBC reported Tuesday that two Conservatives could be considering making the leap immediately, with The Times naming key anti-Brexit campaigners fed up with Prime Minister Theresa May’s work to deliver even the softest Brexit possible as potentials.
Named by the paper but also the centre of speculation for weeks over a possible defection as she’s grown closer to former party opponent Umunna is Tory Anna Soubry, who has already removed Conservative Party branding from her online social media account. Yet 24 hours after the group was launched, there have been no certain moves from other potential members.
Even if Soubry doesn’t leave the Conservative Party, the party may decide to leave her. Breitbart London reported this week on what she described as a “purple momentum, as local parties in areas that voted to leave the European Union looked to deselect representatives who despite local feeling continued to campaign to remain. Soubry is one such MP, representing the down of Broxtowe which voted to leave the European Union by a margin of almost 55-to-45 per cent.
Also virtue signalling before a possible defection is Tory Dr Sarah Wollaston who, using similar language to Soubry’s warning of a ‘Purple Momentum’ infiltrating the Conservatives to complain of ‘Blukip’ activists dragging the party away from the centre ground. Wollaston is also facing a possible deselection effort by her local party.
Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook