Three Conservative MPs have sensationally quit their party to join The Independent Group.

Heidi Allen MP, Anna Soubry MP and Sarah Wollaston MP have written to Prime Minister and Conservative leader Theresa May to say they quit.

They are to join forces with the eight Labour MPs who have formed a new centre-ground Independent Group in the House of Commons, which could eventually become a new political party. 

 

 Writing to the Prime Minister to inform her of their decision, they said the Conservative Party was now dominated by the European Research Group (ERG), a group of pro-Brexit Tories led by high-profile backbencher Jacob Rees Mogg, and by the Northern Ireland party the DUP, which Mrs May has formed a partnership with.

They said: "We no longer feel we can remain in the Party of a Government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP. 

 

 “Brexit has re-defined the Conservative Party – undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There has been a dismal failure to stand up to the hard line ERG which operates openly as a party within a party, with its own leader, whip and policy.”

The three MPs are all supporters of a "soft" Brexit or a second referendum which could lead to Brexit being cancelled entirely.

Commenting on the Government’s handling of Brexit, they said: "The final straw for us has been this Government’s disastrous handling of Brexit.

“Following the EU referendum of 2016, no genuine effort was made to build a cross party, let alone a national consensus to deliver Brexit. Instead of seeking to heal the divisions or to tackle the underlying causes of Brexit, the priority was to draw up 'red lines'. The 48% were not only sidelined, they were alienated."

They claimed that both Labour and the Conservative Party had moved to the "fringes", leaving centre-ground voters without anyone to support.

“The country deserves better. We believe there is a failure of politics in general, not just in the Conservative Party but in both main parties as they move to the fringes, leaving millions of people with no representation. Our politics needs urgent and radical reform and we are determined to play our part.”

On joining The Independent Group, they said: "We intend to sit as independents alongside the Independent Group of MPs in the centre ground of British politics.

"There will be times when we will support the Government, for example, on measures to strengthen our economy, security and improve our public services. But we now feel honour bound to put our constituents’ and country’s interests first."

Heidi Allen was elected as the Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire in 2015. She has criticised the Government over issues such as Universal Credit. 

 

 Anna Soubry is perhaps the most well-known anti-Brexit Tory MP, alongside veteran Conservative Ken Clarke.

She became the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe at the 2010 General Election.

She is a founding member of the People’s Vote campaign for a referendum on the Brexit deal.

Sarah Wollaston was first elected as the MP for Totnes in 2010. Prior to coming into politics she worked for 24 years as an NHS doctor, and she has frequently criticised the Government's approach to the NHS.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "saddened" that the MPs had chosen to leave her party, but insisted the Tory party offered "decent, moderate and patriotic politics".

She said: “I am saddened by this decision – these are people who have given dedicated service to our party over many years, and I thank them for it.

"Of course, the UK’s membership of the EU has been a source of disagreement both in our party and our country for a long time. Ending that membership after four decades was never going to be easy.

"But by delivering on our manifesto commitment and implementing the decision of the British people we are doing the right thing for our country. And in doing so, we can move forward together towards a brighter future.

"I am determined that under my leadership the Conservative Party will always offer the decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve."</s>The trio are outspoken anti-Brexit campaigners who have been pushing for a second referendum.

“Brexit has re-defined the Conservative Party – undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There has been a dismal failure to stand up to the hard line ERG which operates openly as a party within a party, with its own leader, whip and policy.”

Writing to the prime minister to inform her of their decision, they said: “We no longer feel we can remain in the party of a government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP.

In a coordinated announcement at 11am on Wednesday morning, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen resigned to join the newly formed Independent Group.

Three Tory MPs have resigned from the Conservative Party and launched a withering attack on Theresa May for her “dismal failure” to stand up to hardline Brexiteers.

'We can no longer act as bystanders. We are honour bound to put our constituents’ and country’s interests first.' Read the letter to the Prime Minister from @heidiallen75 @Anna_Soubry and @sarahwollaston #ChangePolitics pic.twitter.com/1HxHOULbft

The resignations come as May prepares to travel to Brussels for fresh Brexit talks with Jean-Claude Juncker.

In the letter, the Tory MPs added: “The country deserves better. We believe there is a failure of politics in general, not just in the Conservative Party but in both main parties as they move to the fringes, leaving millions of people with no representation. Our politics needs urgent and radical reform and we are determined to play our part.”

“We intend to sit as independents alongside the Independent Group of MPs in the centre ground of British politics. There will be times when we will support the Government, for example, on measures to strengthen our economy, security and improve our public services. But we now feel honour bound to put our constituents’ and country’s interests first.

“We will continue to work constructively, locally and nationally, on behalf of our constituents.”

On Tuesday evening Joan Ryan became the eighth MP to defect from Labour to the Independent Group notionally led by Chuka Umunna.

Members of the new group have indicated they will resist demands from the leadership, including shadow chancellor John McDonnell, to step down and seek a fresh mandate from voters in a by-election.

With a poll taken the day after the Independent Group’s launch putting the breakaway MPs on 10% support to Labour’s 26% nationally, Corbyn’s party would be hopeful of seizing back most if not all of the seats.

This morning Labour said the right of recall should be expanded to allow voters to force MPs out of their seats if they switch parties mid-term.</s>The MP for Batley and Spen has described the loss of colleagues to new 'breakaway party' The Independent Group as "heartbreaking".

Seven Labour MPs, namely Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith and Chuka Umunna, founded the breakaway on Monday and were joined by Joan Ryan yesterday.

Today, Tory MPs Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston brought the group's membership to 11.

After hearing the news on Monday, Labour MP Ms Brabin tweeted: "Heartbreaking to lose colleagues in this way. Only by working together as a broad church can we change the lives for our constituents. @UKLabour and @CoopParty have long-standing traditions to support those most in need and with ambition to fulfil their potential. A sad day."

In reply to a constituent airing his views on the need for the Labour party to change its direction, Ms Brabin replied:

"There are other MPs who share similar concerns to the ones who have now left but are staying and working hard to ensure these rotten Tories are given the push so politics works for those who are doing the slog in this country rather than those with vested interests."

A spokesperson for Ms Brabin said she has nothing more to add on the matter.</s>Three MPs have quit the Conservative Party to join the new Independent Group in a major blow to prime minister Theresa May’s authority.

Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston hit out at Mrs May’s “disastrous” handling of Brexit as they quit. The three – who will join the eight ex-Labour MPs who have formed TIG – claimed Mrs May had failed to stand up to the “hard line” European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteers.

The move poses a fresh headache for Mrs May as she prepared to face prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons before heading to Brussels for Brexit talks with Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday evening.

In a letter to Mrs May, the three MPs said: “We no longer feel we can remain in the party of a Government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP.

“Brexit has re-defined the Conservative Party – undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There has been a dismal failure to stand up to the hard line ERG which operates openly as a party within a party, with its own leader, whip and policy.” They added: “The final straw for us has been this Government’s disastrous handling of Brexit.”

In a statement, Mrs May said she was disappointed by the decision of the three to quit the party. “I am saddened by this decision – these are people who have given dedicated service to our party over many years, and I thank them for it,” she said.

“Of course, the UK’s membership of the EU has been a source of disagreement both in our party and our country for a long time. Ending that membership after four decades was never going to be easy. But by delivering on our manifesto commitment and implementing the decision of the British people we are doing the right thing for our country. And in doing so, we can move forward together towards a brighter future.”

Mrs May said she was determined the Conservative Party would still offer “decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve”.

On Tuesday evening Labour MP Joan Ryan became the eighth Labour MP to resign and join the breakaway Independent Group of Labour exiles, who include Luciana Berger and Chuka Umunna.

The former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke said on Wednesday he believed some Tory MPs were considering joining the new Independent Group, which is expected to be a precursor to a new political party.

“Certainly some members of parliament are getting very fed up,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“There are some, not including me, who probably are contemplating leaving if the party moves too far to the right and no longer represents what they regard as the mainstream Conservative views they have held for all the previous years. I hope that doesn’t happen. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major also warned that his party had been captured by pro-Brexit right-wingers and praised the courage of the breakaway Labour MPs

“At the moment, there are people who – for now – may have their boots within the Conservative or Labour parties, but not their minds, nor their hearts,” the former Tory prime minister told an audience at the University of Glasgow on Tuesday, warning that both parties were being, “manipulated by fringe opinion”.

Ms Ryan, the MP for Enfield North, said she had been a member for four decades but blamed her departure on what she claimed was the Labour leadership’s “dereliction of duty” in tackling antisemitism.

Her resignation makes her the eighth Labour MP to join the group, which also includes Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith, Ann Coffey and Chris Leslie.

Ms Ryan claimed there were “many very, very unhappy” MPs in Labour who could come to a similar decision and join the Independent Group of MPs. Ian Austin, MP for Dudley South, told his local paper, the Express and Star he would make a decision about his own future by the end of the week.

“People, me included, are going to be thinking long and hard about the position we’re in now,” he said. – Guardian/PA</s>Seven MPs quit Labour criticizing the party's Brexit policy and anti-Semitism

Seven British Labour MPs have quit their party and set up as a group of independents, saying politics in Britain is “broken” and criticising Labour policy on Brexit and its failure to tackle anti-Semitism among its membership.

The split was immediately compared to the ‘Gang of Four’ who left Labour in 1981 to form the Social Democratic Party, splitting the left vote and resulting in Margaret Thatcher winning crushing parliamentary majorities at the next two elections. But the new group said they were not forming a new political party, and rejected comparisons to the SDP, saying it was a different era and they would not be contesting by-elections.

“Politics is broken, it doesn't have to be this way, let's change it,” said MP Chuka Umunna at the launch of The Independent Group, urging MPs from Labour and other parties to join them and support centrist policies that were “evidence-led” rather than ideological.

They will support a push for a new Brexit referendum, Umunna said, which was supported by Labour members but not its leadership.

Luciana Berger said resigning had been “very difficult, painful but necessary”. She said she could not remain in a party that was “institutionally anti-Semitic” and had “a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation.”

Chris Leslie said Labour had been hijacked by the “machine politics of the hard-left”, and Mike Gapes said he was sickened by anti-Semitism in the party and was furious with the Labour leadership for facilitating Brexit.

“Jeremy Corbyn and those around him are on the wrong side in so many international issues, from Russia, to Syria to Venezuela,” he said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was “disappointed” the MPs had left the party.

Former leader Ed Milliband said he deeply regretted the MPs’ decision, saying “Labour must and will continue to be a broad church as it has always been.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he was friends with all the MPs who had quit and that it was a “desperately sad day.”

He agreed on the need for a new Brexit referendum, and that “the Labour Party needs to do much more to root out the evil of anti-Semitism”, however, he said “when the Labour Party splits it only leads to one outcome – a Tory government.”

The split has been rumoured for months, with many speculating it would result in the formation of a new centrist party, mirroring the 1981 split. The briefly-popular Social Democratic Party was founded when four Labour moderates quit in disgust at the party’s militant wing.

The so-called ‘Gang of Four’ who split from Labour issued a statement known as the Limehouse Declaration, which complained of a “drift towards extremism in the Labour Party” and supported membership of the then European Community.

The new group also issued a statement, saying it was dedicated to “the progressive values that were once held true by Labour [but] which have since been abandoned.”

The statement said: “Labour now pursues policies that would weaken our national security; accepts the narratives of states hostile to our country; has failed to take a lead in addressing the challenge of Brexit and to provide a strong and coherent alternative to the Conservatives’ approach; is passive in circumstances of international humanitarian distress; is hostile to businesses large and small; and threatens to destabilize the British economy in pursuit of ideological objectives.

“For a party that once committed to pursue a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect, it has changed beyond recognition. Today, visceral hatreds of other people, views and opinions are commonplace in and around the Labour Party.”

They immediately came under attack from Labour supporters who demanded that by-elections should be held in their constituencies.

Within an hour of the announcement the group’s new website had crashed. The group said that was a sign of “overwhelming support.”

Despite the ruling Conservative Party’s own continuing internal power struggle, and widespread disapproval over its handling of Brexit, the latest opinion poll had the Conservatives and Labour neck and neck with 37% national support.

Approval for Corbyn, already low, has plunged over his response to the Brexit deadlock: he has continued to support the project, albeit on ‘softer’ terms, rather than follow the wishes of a majority of Labour members who want a fresh referendum.

One poll found his ‘dissatisfaction’ score at 72%, a record for any opposition leader, Labour or Conservative. No opposition leader with satisfaction scores this low has managed to unseat a prime minister in an election. Though no election is due until 2022, Labour is pushing for an early election over Brexit. Corbyn supporters say he has a track record as a popular campaigner who over-achieves in elections.</s>Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson has warned that unless the party changes, more MPs will defect to the new Independent Group of MPs – following the seven who quit on Monday. Westminster is also awash with rumours some Tory MPs could throw in their lot with the newly-created gang. Here are some of the MPs that are likely candidates to defect, from both parties.

Top of any list of potential defectors has to be the MP for Broxtowe. Anna Soubry, a former minister, is the most outspoken pro-EU MP on the Tory benches. She has repeatedly bemoaned not only Theresa May’s Brexit plan, but her abandonment of One Nation conservatism. Retweets are not necessarily endorsements, but Soubry chose to highlight Chuka Umunna’s speech launching the new Independent Group on Monday. And she has worked closely with the former Labour MP on the People’s Vote campaign pushing for a second referendum.

Sarah Wollaston, the MP for Totnes, has already floated the idea she will fight the next election as an independent if the government peruses a no-deal Brexit. In recent days, the pro-EU chair of the health committee has been targeted for deselection by Brexiteers in her local party. She has warned the “entryism” from the right is “destroying” the Conservative Party.

Heidi Allen, the South Cambridgeshire MP, is also under threat of deselection from her local party for her pro-EU views. Allen has been a constant thorn in the government’s side with her criticism of its Universal Credit welfare system. She has previously said she would resign the party whip if Boris Johnson ever became party leader.

Ian Murray, the MP for Edinburgh South, issued what looked like an ultimatum to Jeremy Corbyn after the gang of seven quit on Monday. He told the Labour leader he had to decide whether he wanted to carry on presiding over “a culture of bullying and intolerance where his own MPs feel unwelcome”. Earlier this week, he also dismissed the “ridiculous” loyalty pledge to Corbyn that was circulating online.

John Mann, the MP for Bassetlaw, is a long-time critic of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. And he hit out at those on the left of the party who were glad seven MPs had quit. “Those celebrating their departure are people who are not spending time on the doorstep listening to voters. Every week brilliant activists are quietly quitting, seeing the Labour Party as not for them,” he said. While Mann said there was a “fundamental flaw” in the party being focused on a pro-EU agenda, he said the defections were just the “first charge”.

It would not be a huge surprise if Ian Austin, the MP for Dudley North, was one of the MPs to decide to jump ship. He said today he was “thinking long and hard” about whether to remain in the Labour Party. And he defended those who had already decided to leave. “What my seven friends did yesterday is the opposite of careerism. It would be easy to keep your head down, promise loyalty, ignore the racism and extremism and keep your job,” he said. This list is, of course, not exhaustive. BuzzFeed UK reported on Monday that around 30 Labour MPs were originally considering joining the breakaway group on Monday.</s>Cracks in Britain's political party system yawned wider Wednesday as three pro-European lawmakers quit the governing Conservatives to join a newly formed centrist group of independent legislators opposed to the government's conduct of the country's divorce from the European Union.

Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston announced Wednesday they will join eight ex-Labour Party lawmakers in the new group.

In a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, the trio accused the Conservative Party of abandoning the political center ground, and said "the final straw for us has been this government's disastrous handling of Brexit."

With Britain's departure from the EU due on March 29 and no deal yet agreed on divorce terms, the three lawmakers accused the government of "recklessly marching the country to the cliff edge of no deal."

May said she was "saddened by this decision," but the government was "doing the right thing for our country" by implementing voters' decision to leave the EU.

The eight Labour rebels quit their party earlier this week over its direction under left-wing party leader Jeremy Corbyn. They accuse him of mounting a weak opposition to May's plans for leaving the European Union and of failing to stamp out anti-Semitism in the party.

The defections mark the biggest shakeup in years for Britain's political parties. There have long been signs that voters' 2016 decision to leave the EU could spark a major overhaul of British politics, because Brexit has split both the Conservatives and Labour down the middle into feuding pro-Brexit and pro-EU wings.

The breakaway lawmakers hope to gain members from among disgruntled pro-Europeans in both the Labour and Conservative parties, with a view to forging a new force in the centre of British politics.</s>The MP for Batley and Spen has described the loss of colleagues to new 'breakaway party' The Independent Group as "heartbraking".

Seven Labour MPs, namely Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith and Chuka Umunna, founded the breakaway on Monday and were joined by Joan Ryan yesterday.

Today, Tory MPs Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston brought the group's membership to 11.

After hearing the news on Monday, Labour MP Ms Brabin tweeted: "Heartbreaking to lose colleagues in this way. Only by working together as a broad church can we change the lives for our constituents. @UKLabour and @CoopParty have long-standing traditions to support those most in need and with ambition to fulfil their potential. A sad day."

In reply to a constituent airing his views on the need for the Labour party to change its direction, Ms Brabin replied:

"There are other MPs who share similar concerns to the ones who have now left but are staying and working hard to ensure these rotten Tories are given the push so politics works for those who are doing the slog in this country rather than those with vested interests."

A spokesperson for Ms Brabin said she has nothing more to add on the matter.</s>Three Conservative MPs who resigned to join a new independent group on Wednesday said Theresa May had allowed their former party to fall prey to hardline Brexiters and declared that the Tory modernising project had been destroyed.

In the latest evidence that Brexit is reshaping the political landscape, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston, all outspoken critics of May’s stance on Europe, said the Conservative party as they had known it under David Cameron was dead.

“I’m not leaving the Conservative party – it has left us,” said Soubry at a hastily convened press conference around the corner from the House of Commons. “The modernising reforms that had taken years to achieve were destroyed.”

Allen was asked if she could ever return to the Conservatives and answered: “If we do our jobs properly, there won’t be a Tory party to go back to.” She added: “We’re about creating something better that is bang smack in the centre ground of British politics that people out there, I am convinced, we are convinced, want.”

The resignation of three Tory MPs is a dire warning to the party | Andrew Gimson Read more

The dramatic resignations – announced shortly before May confronted Jeremy Corbyn at prime minister’s questions – sent shockwaves through Westminster, where MPs had barely digested news of the Labour split.

The move reduces May’s already tenuous working majority to eight, raising still more questions over her authority amid rumours that there could be further Tory defections.

On Wednesday night, Allen told ITV’s Peston that “a third of the party” – around 100 of her former colleagues – shared her frustrations at its direction. The Tory former attorney general Dominic Grieve told the BBC: “The government which I am supporting implementing a no-deal Brexit - what would I do? I would not be able to maintain my support of the government. I would have to leave the party.”

The arrival of former Conservatives in the Independent Group, alongside breakaway Labour MPs including Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie, was immediately seized on by the Labour leadership, which stepped up attacks on the defectors.

Play Video 0:52 MP Heidi Allen quits Tories after having to fight 'for benevolence' – video

“The fact is they have formed what is effectively an establishment coalition based on the failed and rejected policies of the past: austerity, corporate tax cuts, privatisation,” Corbyn’s spokesman said.

“It’s precisely because those policies were seen to have failed and were rejected that the direction under the Labour party has changed since Jeremy was elected. And we demonstrated at the general election that a different approach has mass electoral appeal.”

The shadow justice secretary, Richard Burgon, a close ally of Corbyn, compared what he called “Chuka’s coalition” with the national government formed by the Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald in 1931, which implemented “deep cuts and attacks on working-class communities”.

The Independent Group (@TheIndGroup) 'We can no longer act as bystanders. We are honour bound to put our constituents’ and country’s interests first.' Read the letter to the Prime Minister from @heidiallen75 @Anna_Soubry and @sarahwollaston #ChangePolitics pic.twitter.com/1HxHOULbft

Momentum, the grassroots campaign group set up to back Corbyn’s leadership, announced plans to unleash what it calls “mass canvassing events” in the constituencies of three of the Labour MPs – Umunna, Ann Coffey and Angela Smith – in the weeks ahead.

Laura Parker, Momentum’s national coordinator, said: “Their constituents voted for a Labour MP standing on a Labour manifesto. Now they’ve left the party and joined a Blairite-Tory coalition standing on a completely different platform.”

She said their decision to resign from Labour and sit as independents was “unfair, undemocratic and dishonest. If they care about their constituents rather than their own careers they should step down and fight a byelection.”

These dissident Labour MPs aren’t ‘independent’. They represent the 1% | Ian Lavery Read more

However, some senior Labour figures have taken a markedly more sympathetic tone towards the departing MPs. The shadow trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, said Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree who blamed antisemitism for her decision to quit Labour, had suffered “disgraceful treatment”.

“I regret deeply that she has left our party, I regret most of all the antisemitic abuse which made her feel it was necessary to do so,” he told MPs in a Commons debate on antisemitism. He described her as a “kind and loving person” who has been “bullied by antisemites to a point that most of us would not have had the strength to bear”.

The Independent Group was formed on Monday by the erstwhile Labour MPs. Joan Ryan became the eighth MP to quit Labour and join the group on Tuesday night. The MPs claimed they felt it necessary to leave Labour because of the leadership’s Brexit policy and failure to tackle antisemitism in the party.

The 11-strong parliamentary grouping formed by the breakaway MPs is not yet a formal political party but its founders hope to swell their numbers further in the coming days. Several potential defectors told the Guardian they were not ready to join the group – “yet”.

Soubry said she and her Tory colleagues had picked up the baton handed to them by Umunna and were now holding it out to other “one-nation Conservatives” dismayed by May’s failure to take a no-deal Brexit off the table.

“Dear friends, now former colleagues, who share those one-nation values and principles will deny it, but I believe in their heads and in their hearts that they know it is over,” she said, adding: “The battle is over. The other side has won.”

“The right wing, the hardline, anti-EU awkward squad that have destroyed every leader for the last 40 years are now running the Conservative party from top to tail – they are the Conservative party.”

The group has not yet published any policy proposals, just a set of values, including supporting “a diverse, mixed social market economy” and removing the barriers of “poverty, prejudice and discrimination” to ensure inequalities can be “reduced through the extension of opportunity”.

The challenges of uniting them around a joint policy position were underlined at Wednesday’s press conference when Soubry was asked about the spending cuts of the 2010-15 coalition government, in which she was a minister.

“I think the things we did to the economy were absolutely necessary at the time. I don’t have a problem with that,” she said. Leslie, who as shadow chancellor criticised the 2015 Labour manifesto as too leftwing, later said the party was keen to be forward-looking.

Wollaston pointed out that after the prime minister lost the meaningful vote on her Brexit deal by an unprecedented margin of 230 votes last month, she promised to seek a cross-party solution – but the first group she consulted was the hard Brexit European Research Group.

What next for the Independent Group? Here’s a winning manifesto | Glen O’Hara Read more

In their joint resignation letter, the three MPs said: “We no longer feel we can remain in the party of a government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP. Brexit has redefined the Conservative party.”

But Allen, who represents South Cambridgeshire, said of the new grouping that she felt “so excited, in a way I haven’t felt since I was first elected … I, we, are prepared to dare to dream that this could be possible.”

The latest defections are unlikely to change the parliamentary arithmetic in next week’s crucial votes, because the 11 MPs were already confirmed Brexit rebels. But they underlined the sense that both May and Corbyn have struggled to contain the deep divisions in their parties, on Brexit and beyond.

A string of ministers are privately warning that they are prepared to vote against the government and back Yvette Cooper’s effort to force an extension to article 50, rather than allow May to continue using the threat of a no-deal Brexit as a bargaining chip.

Before flying to Brussels for talks with Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday, May said she was “saddened” by the decisions of Soubry, Allen and Wollaston to resign, saying they were “people who have given dedicated service to our party over many years, and I thank them for it”.

Despite the divisions over Brexit, she said: “I am determined that under my leadership the Conservative party will always offer the decent, moderate and patriotic politics that the people of this country deserve.”

The work and pensions secretary, Amber Rudd, tweeted that she was keen to continue to work with the departing Tory MPs on “a number of important issues”, including Brexit, in the future.

Soubry suggested she and her colleagues would support the prime minister in any future no-confidence vote in the government, because now was not the time for a general election. May survived a no-confidence vote with a majority of 19 last month.

Despite the extraordinary drama, neither party leader mentioned the resignations at prime minister’s questions, as the 11-strong Independent Group sat perched high up on the opposition benches.

• The caption to the graphic was amended on 21 February 2019 because an earlier version omitted to credit the Institute for Government.</s>Westminster is racing with rumours about who will be the next MPs to jump ship and join the anti-Brexit Independent Group bandwagon.

Seven Labour MPs — Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna, Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Angela Smith, Chris Leslie — announced their resignation from the Labour Party on Monday, followed by Joan Ryan on Tuesday.

On Wednesday three Tory Remainers — Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston — joined them.

​So will the Independent Group become a dirty dozen?

And how many more might join?

The Conservative MP for Putney in London has been sulking on the backbenches for some time.

The former Education Secretary resigned from the cabinet last year after the prime minister attempted to reshuffle her.

​In October she expressed interest in launching a leadership bid if May was ousted, insisting that "things need to change" in the UK, not just with regard to Brexit.

But as Boris Johnson and the ERG became increasingly powerful within the Tory Party it has become clear a Remainer could never hope to become leader.

Greening, one of a handful of openly gay Tory MPs, might consider joining the Independent Group and could even become their leader.

The same could be said about Labour's Liz Kendall — a rising star under Gordon Brown, her career nosedived after her catastrophic tilt at the leadership in 2015.

Five of the seven original Labour splitters had voted for Kendall in that leadership election, so it would be quite appropriate if she joined them in the IG.

If she fails, it would not be a major surprise if the 47-year-old MP for Leicester West abandoned Labour later in the year if Corbyn remains as leader.

The Conservative former Attorney General has fallen out of favour since David Cameron left 10 Downing Street and his Remainer instincts have become an increasing liability as Theresa May's party drifted further towards a hard Brexit position.

​He appeared on television on Wednesday night and made it quite clear he would quit the Tory Party if Mrs May accepted a no deal Brexit.

Grieve, 62, did not explicitly say he would join the Independent Group, but it would make sense.

He is currently chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, a position which he would inevitably lose if he quit the Tories.

The man who would be king. After the failed putsch against Jeremy Corbyn in the wake of the 2016 Brexit referendum, the right wing of the Labour Party could not find anyone willing to challenge Corbyn.

In the end Owen Smith, a Welsh MP and former Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, came forward and was obliterated.

​He has been invisible ever since, except on social media where he continues to berate supporters of Brexit and even Len McCluskey, the leader of the trade union Unite, who has been a strong supporter of Corbyn.

His constituency in Pontypridd is a Labour stronghold and Smith knows that if he quits Labour he would inevitably lose his seat at the next election.

So he will certainly not rush into joining the Independent Group.

Perhaps the biggest coup the Independent Group could get would be to persuade Ken Clarke, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, to quit the Conservative Party. Clarke has been MP for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire since 1970 — three years before Britain even joined the European Union, or the EEC as it was then.

​He rose to the senior ranks of government under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and was one of the few voices in the Cabinet that spoke up for Europe at that time, when she was constantly battling against greater integration.

A cigar smoking maverick, Clarke is now on the left wing of the Conservative Party but at the age of 78 it will be hard to persuade him to leave the party he has been a member of for half a century.

Many people may be wondering why Margaret Hodge, a Jewish Labour MP who has been at the forefront of the criticism of the party's handling of anti-Semitism allegations, is still in the party.

​Born in Egypt to Jewish parents, she has been MP for Barking in east London since 1994 and spent much of that time defeating the anti-immigrant British National Party (BNP), which began to make inroads in Tower Hamlets Council. Hodge was a junior minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown but her politics were out of kilter with Corbyn's and she has been a constant sniping presence since he became leader.

She submitted the first letter of no confidence in him in 2016. She is 74 now and, like Clarke, may not be willing to abandon the party she has served for so many years.

Stephen Kinnock — whose father Neil was Labour Party leader in the 1980s — became Labour MP for Aberavon in south Wales in 2015, despite having spent most of his life in England and Denmark.

​Kinnock worked in the European Parliament and for the World Economic Forum in Geneva before becoming an MP and is a big supporter of the "European project", even though most people in his constituency voted to Leave. His wife — Helle Thorning-Schmidt — was Denmark's Prime Minister from 2011 until 2015.

Kinnock appeared on television on Wednesday night and insisted he would stay in Labour and "fight his corner".

Boris Johnson's brother Jo is also a Conservative MP but is on the other end of the Brexit spectrum to his sibling.

In November he resigned from his job as a transport minister because of his opposition to the Brexit deal. Johnson referred to May's Brexit negotiations as a "failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis."

​"Brexit has divided the country. It has divided political parties. And it has divided families too. Although I voted Remain, I have desperately wanted the Government, in which I have been proud to serve, to make a success of Brexit: to reunite our country, our party and, yes, my family too," Johnson wrote in his resignation statement.

But the Johnson family may be about to face another rupture if Jo quits the Conservative Party and moves to the Independent Group.

Boris's sister Rachel also resigned from the Conservative Party in 2017, moving to the Liberal Democrats because of her opposition to Brexit.

The Labour MP for Dudley North is openly vacillating on whether to join the Independent Group. He said he would make a decision by the end of the week.

A fierce feminist, Jess Phillips has been a thorn in the side of the Labour leadership since 2015. She repeatedly pointed out the lack of women in prominent positions in the Shadow Cabinet — until Emily Thornberry and Diane Abbott were promoted.

Phillips remains at loggerheads with Momentum, but whether she would have much in common with the Independent Group or its former Tory MPs is another matter.

A long-time opponent of Jeremy Corbyn, Mann has little truck with the Remainers as he represents a seat in the north of England where Leave won in the 2016 referendum.

So don't expect him to jump ship, at least not until Brexit is sorted.

After the 2015 election Murray, the MP for Edinburgh South, was the only Labour MP north of the border.

​In an interview on Wednesday, Murray said he thought he would "die in the Labour Party" but he was finding it increasingly difficult to defend the leadership on the doorstep.

"It seems to me as if the Labour leadership are trolling MPs, they're pushing them out the door, taking us to the brink and asking us to jump, and really that's not the way you try and bring the party back together and I think people can see that for what it is," he told ITV.

Murray sounds like he might be only days away from becoming the Independent Group's first Scottish MP.

The former universities minister quit the government in November and has been highly critical of Theresa May's Brexit strategy."

In these protracted negotiations, our interests will be repeatedly and permanently hammered by the EU27 for many years to come. Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers," he wrote in an article for the Daily Telegraph.

Gyimah, who retweeted Anna Soubry's resignation letter on Wednesday, would be an asset for the Independent Group, who currently only have one ethnic minority MP.

The Cardiff South MP has been highly critical of the Labour leadership but is thought to be planning to stick it out, rather than jump ship right now.

The 46-year-old Conservative MP for Loughborough appeared to be heading for high office. David Cameron appointed her Education Secretary in 2014 and she campaigned prominently for the Remain campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.

When Cameron quit and Theresa May took over, Morgan was suddenly kicked out of the Cabinet and she soon became one of May's most strident critics.

Her Remainer tendencies could lead her to join the Independent Group but she has to weigh up her political principles and her knowledge that she would face certain defeat in a general election.

West Streeting, the Labour MP for Ilford North, was a close ally of Mike Gapes, who represented the neighbouring constituency.

Both have been highly critical of the Labour leadership but when Gapes jumped ship and joined the Independent Group, Streeting made it clear he would stay with Labour.

The 40-year-old Labour MP for Redcar, in the north east of England, has been a critic of Corbyn's leadership. She is reportedly on the brink of leaving Labour.

The MP for Bury South, Ivan Lewis, left the Labour Party in December.

Lewis, who is Jewish, accused Mr Corbyn of being "unwilling to condemn those whose hatred of Israel becomes Jew hatred."

Lewis, who was a minister in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, also criticised the time it was taking to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Three British MPs – Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen – defect from the Conservative Party to The Independent Group, citing their opposition to Brexit and the party's adoption of UKIP policies. This brings the total number of The Independent Group MPs to eleven following recent defections from Labour.