Britain’s Parliament splinters
A group of breakaway MPs may not dominate British politics, but it could help shape the future
IT WAS SUPPOSED to be a quiet time in Westminster. But a week when the Commons was due to be in recess has instead seen the biggest political shake-up in four decades. It began on February 18th, in a conference centre overlooking Parliament. One by one, seven Labour MPs took to the podium to quit the party to which they had belonged for most of their lives, accusing its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, of racism, betraying voters on Brexit and being a national-security risk. Another Labour MP followed the next day, labelling Mr Corbyn and his allies Stalinist. And on February 20th three anti-Brexit Conservative MPs joined them. Theresa May, the prime minister, was running scared of her hard-right Brexiteers, they said. This coalition of MPs fed up with their parties, pictured above, has dubbed itself the Independent Group.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Britain splinters”
Britain February 23rd 2019
- Britain’s Parliament splinters
- Honda’s departure adds to the gloom enveloping Britain’s car industry
- The British government is growing warier of China
- Long hostile to the legal system, British trade unions have changed
- Brexit weakens Britain’s influence at the UN
- Police need to rethink how they deal with organised crime
- John McDonnell, Labour’s hard man
From the February 23rd 2019 edition
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