He lost a confidence vote in his constituency party after siding with the government in Brexit votes
Veteran Labour MP Frank Field has resigned the party whip, accusing the party leadership of becoming “a force for anti-Semitism in British politics” and creating a “culture of nastiness” among its membership.
The Birkenhead MP said he was quitting to become an “independent Labour MP” following a number of controversies that have seen Jeremy Corbyn accused of anti-semitism.
He also said that under Corbyn’s leadership a “culture of intolerance, nastiness and intimidation” had been created in local parties. The remarks come after his constituency party delivered a no-confidence vote against him after he sided with the government in a series of Brexit votes.
In his resignation letter, Field said Labour is now “a force for anti-Semitism in British politics” as the leadership had failed to address anti-Jewish bigotry within the party.
He added: “It saddens me to say that we are increasingly seen as a racist party. This issue alone compels me to resign the whip.”
“I intend to continue to represent Birkenhead in Westminster, as I have had the honour to do so for almost 40 years, and I will continue to do so as an Independent Labour Member.
He becomes the third Labour MP to sit as an independent, after John Woodcock and Jared O’Mara. Both resigned from the party following sexual harassment claims made against them.
