That will not be easy. The seven rebel lawmakers will sit as independents in Parliament, having decided not to establish a new political party, at least for now. Doing so is difficult in Britain because the country’s electoral system makes it hard for smaller groups to win representation in Parliament. A faction that splintered from Labour in the 1980s to form a centrist social democratic party ultimately failed. Nevertheless, in some parts of Europe, new political forces have exploited the weakness of existing parties, including in France where President Emmanuel Macron successfully created a new centrist movement. In Britain, Mr. Travers noted, there is “a gaping gap” in politics. Under Mr. Corbyn, Labour has both its most left-wing leader in decades and a lifelong critic of the European Union, who has resisted demands from some of his lawmakers and party members to support another referendum on Brexit. The Conservatives have their schisms as well. Within the governing Conservative Party of Prime Minister Theresa May, Brexit has been embraced with enthusiasm by party activists, who tend to be older and more nativist. This has strengthened the hand of hard-liners, including lawmakers who meet as the European Research Group, some of whom are happy to contemplate leaving the European Union without any agreement. That has left the party’s more pragmatic lawmakers on the defensive, confronting the prospect of something they fear could be an economic catastrophe. Several of the more pro-European Conservative lawmakers have been threatened with deselection by their local parties, a development that mirrors the faction-fighting within Labour. While there is a vacant space at the center of Britain’s politics, the middle-of-the-road Liberal Democrats have failed to recover the credibility they lost with voters during their coalition government with the Conservatives from 2010 to 2015.<doc-sep>Seven MPs leave Labour Party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership Published 18 February 2019 media caption MPs resign from Labour over Brexit and anti-Semitism Seven MPs have resigned from the Labour Party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's approach to Brexit and anti-Semitism. They are: Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey. Ms Berger said Labour had become institutionally anti-Semitic and she was "embarrassed and ashamed" to stay. Mr Corbyn said he was "disappointed" the MPs had felt unable to continue working for the policies that "inspired millions" at the 2017 election. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the "honourable thing for them to do" would be to stand down as MPs and seek to return to Parliament in by-elections. Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, in a video message on Facebook, urged the "hard left" to stop celebrating the departure of the seven MPs, saying it was "a moment for regret and reflection not for a mood of anger or a tone of triumph". media caption John McDonnell: Resigning MPs have 'responsibility' to call by-elections "Betrayal narratives and shouting insults at the departed might make some feel better briefly but it does nothing to address the reasons that good colleagues might want to leave," said Mr Watson. He said Luciana Berger's decision to quit was a "wake-up call for the Labour Party" over anti-Semitism, saying: "We were slow to acknowledge we had a problem and even slower to deal with it." Labour had to "broaden out" and become more tolerant, he said, adding: "I love this party. But sometimes I no longer recognise it, that is why I do not regard those who have resigned today as traitors." What is the new group trying to do? The seven MPs, who all back a further EU referendum, are not launching a new political party - they will sit in Parliament as the Independent Group. But Chuka Umunna said they had "taken the first step" and urged other Labour MPs - and members of other parties - to join them in "building a new politics". "It is time we dumped this country's old-fashioned politics and created an alternative that does justice to who we are today and gives this country a politics fit for the here and now - the 21st Century," he said at a launch event in central London. He said there would be "no merger" with the Liberal Democrats, who have 11 MPs, and the group wanted to "build a new alternative". The group rejected comparisons with the Social Democratic Party - which broke away from the Labour Party in the early 1980s but eventually merged with the Liberal Party - saying it was a different era and they would not be contesting by-elections. In a founding statement on its website, the group sets out its approach to the economy, public services and security, as well as Brexit. One of the seven MPs, Angela Smith, has, meanwhile, had to apologise after being criticised for a comment about skin colour on BBC Two's Politics Live programme. media caption Angela Smith criticised over skin colour comment In a discussion about race, the MP appeared to say: "It's not just about being black or a funny tinge." She has since posted a video on Twitter apologising for the comment, adding: "I am very upset that I misspoke so badly." Could more MPs defect to new group? image copyright PA By BBC Political Correspondent Iain Watson Defections to the Independent Group are likely to increase - but it will need to attract some of those beyond Labour to become a proper "centre party". Two more MPs were undecided about whether to be at the launch, one of them was 90% but clearly not 100% there. And more still may be persuaded to go unless they see a more robust response to anti-Semitism. But strong supporters of the Blair/Brown governments such as Peter Kyle and Ben Bradshaw are staying to fight their corner on Brexit and it's likely in the short term the numbers who do go will be small. This is no simple centrists v left, or indeed, ultra left split. However, the reaction of left-wing activists to today's drama could be crucial. If they feel fired up to de-select those who share the politics of the defectors but who have no intention of leaving Labour, the splinter could yet become a more sizeable split. What did the defecting MPs say? Each of the seven took turns to explain their personal reasons for quitting the party. Ms Berger said: "I am leaving behind a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation." Chris Leslie said Labour under Mr Corbyn had been "hijacked by the machine politics of the hard left". Mike Gapes said he was "sickened that Labour is now perceived by many as a racist, anti-Semitic party" and "furious that the Labour leadership is complicit in facilitating Brexit". Whatever you think of these seven leaving Labour it is clear it’s been a huge decision for them all - you can see it on their faces, no joy in it for them and they know the abuse they will get and are already receiving — Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) February 18, 2019 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter How did it go down with other Labour MPs? Senior Labour figures, including former leader Ed Miliband and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, expressed their dismay at the split, with Mr Khan saying on Facebook that the seven MPs were friends of his but he would not be joining their new group and it was a "desperately sad day". I deeply regret the decision of my former colleagues to leave Labour. Labour's values are still my values and a Labour government is the best hope for the country we need. Labour must and will continue to be a broad church as it has always been. — Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) February 18, 2019 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter<doc-sep>Donald Trump's long quest to build a wall on the US-Mexico border has taken another twist. Sixteen US states, led by California, are suing Mr Trump's administration over his decision to declare a national emergency to raise $8bn (£6.2bn) towards completing the project. They say this move, aimed at bypassing Congress, is a misuse of presidential powers. But Mr Trump says the wall is needed to confront a "national security crisis". We've put together seven charts showing all you need to know about the subject.<doc-sep>A British political party splintered on Monday, and for once it wasn’t the ruling Conservatives. Seven members of the Labour opposition resigned from the party in protest over leader Jeremy Corbyn’s inconstant dealing on Brexit and tolerance for anti-Semitism. The rebel Members of Parliament include Chuka Umunna, the party’s former spokesman on business affairs, and Luciana Berger, who has endured anti-Semitic abuse by Corbyn supporters. All seven have held senior party positions and hail from the centrist wing in charge during the Tony Blair era. They aren’t forming a new political party and will keep their seats while voting as independents. All seven cited the excuse-making of Mr. Corbyn and his allies regarding abuse of Jewish members, spread of anti-Jewish tropes and sympathy for anti-Israel terrorists. The number of such cases referred to the party for disciplinary proceedings has skyrocketed under Mr. Corbyn, yet last summer he resisted formalizing an internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism in party rules. The willingness of the rebels to leave raises questions about why so many others are still working for Mr. Corbyn. As for Brexit, this is the latest evidence that Britain’s impending departure from the European Union is scrambling domestic politics. Both major parties remain deeply divided on Brexit and the bigger question of what the British economy should be after it leaves. Theresa May’s Conservatives are split between free-market Brexiteers and Remainers who are woolier on economics. Mr. Corbyn supports Brexit in line with a left-wing view of the EU as a capitalist plot whose rules would obstruct his socialist agenda. Some of the party’s blue-collar base favor Brexit but not Mr. Corbyn’s socialism. The party also contains many younger, urban voters—whom the rebels purport to represent—who favored Remain in the 2016 referendum and are angry that Mr. Corbyn hasn’t taken a stronger stand against Brexit. Monday’s rebellion won’t resolve these tensions. But the rebels are among the few British politicians prepared to nail their colors to a mast. Too many Labour politicians have prized party loyalty over principle in the fight against Mr. Corbyn’s anti-Semitism, or have been too afraid of his vicious supporters on social media to take a stand. Mrs. May and Mr. Corbyn have resisted most serious votes in Parliament over Brexit to avoid forcing their members to make splintering choices. Britain’s only way out of its current political mess is for politicians to start making tough decisions. The Labour rebels have performed a public service by doing what too many other politicians won’t.<doc-sep>
AFTER MONTHS of rumours and false starts, the Labour split has finally come. Seven MPs—Luciana Berger, Chuka Umunna, Gavin Shuker, Anne Coffey, Chris Leslie, Mike Gapes and Angela Smith—quit the party this morning. It has been a long time coming. All seven have been trenchant critics of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s left-wing leader, since he took power in 2015. Their criticism ranged from Brexit (where they see the Labour leader as a Brexiteer in a shoddy disguise) to foreign policy (where Mr Corbyn is seen as a danger to national security) and even economic policy (with the party’s direction dismissed as 1970s socialist revanchism). But at the top of the list was Labour’s failure to root out anti-Semitism in its ranks. Ms Berger, who is Jewish herself, said she had come to the “sickening conclusion” that Labour was institutionally anti-Semitic. A new party is not yet in the offing. The seven MPs will initially sit as independent MPs in parliament, under the appropriate moniker of The Independent Group. They will not fight by-elections in their seats. Another set of elections is the last thing voters want, they argue. For now, the group is simply seven MPs with a joint statement of vague values and a website asking for donations. Comparisons with the Social Democratic Party, a breakaway party that briefly shot to 50% in the polls in the 1980s before fading, are being made. But the seven bear little comparison with the Gang of Four, the former Labour ministers who founded the SDP. Between them, the seven can muster four years of ministerial experience, courtesy of Mr Leslie’s stint as a junior minister under Tony Blair. There is no one of the stature of, say, Roy Jenkins, the most influential home secretary of the 20th century and a former president of the European Commission, who led the 1980s breakaway. Other Labour MPs condemned the split. “Sit as independents, vote as independents, fight elections as independents and then independently help the Tories stay in power,” tweeted Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary. Not all the negative voices were loyalists of Mr Corbyn. Alison McGovern, the MP who leads the party’s Blairite Progress group, made it clear that she would stay. Labour MPs who dislike Mr Corbyn are generally content to sit it out. Tony Blair once ruled Labour with near-total control, but his time came and went. The same will happen with Mr Corbyn, goes their logic. Those who quit today did not have the luxury of time. Of the seven, all apart from Angela Smith sit on fat majorities. But the spectre of deselection, whereby party members back someone other than the sitting MP to stand at the next election, stalks Labour. Due to their principled reluctance to pledge fealty to a leader they deem incompetent, anti-Semitic and even a danger to Britain, Mr Umunna and friends were top of this hard-left hit list. Any fundamental reshaping of British politics will require more than seven MPs jumping before they are pushed. But the discontent to which they allude among Labour MPs—and many voters—is real. Some on the Conservative benches may feel similarly about their party, too. Whether more are willing to follow their lead will determine if the “Gang of Seven” will be a footnote in the history of British party politics or a new chapter.