Eighth MP quits Labour for Independent Group - BBC News

Joan Ryan has become the eighth Labour MP to quit the party in the past 48 hours, citing a "culture of anti-Jewish racism".

The Enfield North MP said she was "horrified, appalled and angered" by Labour's failure to tackle anti-Semitism, saying its leadership allowed "Jews to be abused with impunity".

Ms Ryan said she did not believe Jeremy Corbyn was fit to lead the country.

Seven MPs quit on Monday to form the Independent Group in Parliament.

Announcing her decision on Twitter, Ms Ryan said she would continue to represent the north London seat in Parliament.

Ms Ryan, who served as a minister under Tony Blair, follows Chuka Umunna, Mike Gapes, Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker and Chris Leslie in quitting the party.

In her resignation statement, she said Mr Corbyn and the "Stalinist clique which surrounds him" was not providing real opposition at a moment of crisis for the country.

Instead, she said the leadership was focused on "purging their perceived ideological enemies within and obsessing over issues of little interest to British people".

She repeated Ms Berger's claim that the party had become "institutionally anti-Semitic", suggesting that under Mr Corbyn's leadership Israel had been "singled out for demonisation and de-legitimisation".

"The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn has become infected with the scourge of anti-Jewish racism. The problem simply did not exist in the party before his election as leader."

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