John Woodcock will now represent his constituency as an independent
Labour MP John Woodcock has resigned from the Labour party in a brutally worded letter of resignation aimed at Jeremy Corbyn.
The Barrow and Furness MP is a longstanding critic of the Labour leader and attacked the “hard left” in his statement.
Woodcock was suspended by the party in April over claims he sent inappropriate messages to a female member of staff, allegations which he denies but are being investigated.
My letter to Jeremy Corbyn resigning from the Labour Party. I will continue to serve the people of Barrow and Furness as an independent MP pic.twitter.com/8PJtgurK3X
— Lord Walney (@LordWalney) July 18, 2018
In his resignation letter, Woodcock said the party had been “taken over by the hard left,” “tolerated” anti-Semitism and does not offer a “credible” alternative to the Conservative party.
“I have promised to fight for local jobs, protect the shipyard and ensure the safety of the my constituents through strong defence and national security.
“I now believe more strongly than ever you have made Labour unfit to deliver those objectives.”
A Labour spokesman said: “Jeremy thanks John for his service to the Labour Party.”
Jeremy Corbyn was told he was “a fucking anti-Semite” by veteran Jewish MP Dame Margaret Hodge on Tuesday night following Labour’s National Executive Committee decision to uphold new guidelines on tackling anti-semitism, which does not conform to the full definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
As a result, a number of the UK’s senior rabbis sent a joint letter to the Labour leadership, accusing it of acting in “the most insulting and arrogant way” by rewriting an internationally-adopted definition of anti-Semitism.
