7 British MPs resign from Labour over Brexit row
Published : 18 Feb 2019, 14:08
Updated : 18 Feb 2019, 14:13
Seven British members of parliament (MPs) on Monday announced their resignations from the opposition Labour Party over the Brexit and anti-Semitism row.
The split came as Britain is caught in the Brexit deadlock.
It is believed that the seven MPs, including Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie, will sit in parliament as an independent group.
Leslie accused opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of acting in "betrayal" on Europe by enabling Brexit and holding back from allowing the public a final say.
He said the party had been "hijacked" by the far left.
Until the announcement, Labour had 256 MPs compared to Prime Minister Theresa May's 317 Conservative MPs.
The resignations will not affect the current power base within the British parliament.
Tensions have been rising between the two big political parties, Conservative and Labour, over the approaches the leaderships of each party have been taking towards the way Britain is leaving the European Union.