Labour MP Joan Ryan becomes EIGHTH to quit as she slams Jeremy Corbyn for failing to deal with ‘face of evil’ anti-semitism

AN eighth Labour MP last night quit over Jeremy Corbyn's failure to deal with "face of evil" anti-semitism in the party.

Joan Ryan, MP for Enfield North, slammed the Labour leader and "the Stalinist clique that surrounds him" for being "too busy purging their perceived ideological enemies within".

On Monday seven centrist MPs quit in protest at Mr Corbyn's leadership - saying he has made Labour "a racist and anti-Semitic party".

And yesterday evening Ms Ryan issued a statement on why she decided to leave the Labour party.

She wrote: "The values that led me to join the Labour Party are the same values that have led me to leave it today."

She added: "Over the past three years, however, the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn has become infected with the scourge of anti-Jewish racism.

"This problem simply did not exist in the party before his election as leader.

"No previous Labour leader would have allowed this huge shame to befall the party.

"I have always believed that we must be especially vigilant against the oldest hatred; history teaches us the tragic and horrific results of a failure to do so.

"I have been horrified, appalled and angered to see the Labour leadership's dereliction of duty in the face of this evil."

Over the past three years, however, the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn has become infected with the scourge of anti-Jewish racism.

Joan Ryan

In a hammer blow to Mr Corbyn and his ultimate goal to be Prime Minister she said: "I cannot remain a member of the Labour party while this requires me to suggest that I believe Jeremy Corbyn – a man who has presided over the culture of anti-Jewish racism and hatred for Israel which now afflicts my former party – is fit to be Prime Minister of this country. He is not."

Ms Ryan compared Mr Corbyn to Donald Trump and said: "The antisemitism crisis has thrown a harsh light on the values and behaviour of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party."

She added "the British people deserve so much better", writing: "I cannot remain a member of the Labour party while its leadership singles out for demonization and delegitimization the world’s only Jewish state".

The other MPs involved are Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Ann Coffey and Gavin Shuker.

They are forming a new grouping in the House of Commons called "The Independent Group" - but fell short of creating a whole new political party.

The rebels are furious at Mr Corbyn's Brexit policy and his failure to tackle anti-Semitism in the party.

REBELS RISING

Ms Ryan's announcement came as Labour launched a consultation on changes to allow voters to force MPs to seek re-election if they swap parties.

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

Ms Ryan, who has represented Enfield North since 1997 with a break from 2010-15 and served as a minister in Tony Blair's government, made clear she is hoping for further defections.

Ms Ryan joined the Labour party in 1983 and was elected in 1997 as one of the so-called 'Blair's babes'.

She was one of the leading pro-Israel MPs in Parliament and faced being deselected by leftie activists who have accused her of "smearing" Mr Corbyn over the party's anti-Semitism crisis.

Rumours of a split in Labour have swirled ever since Mr Corbyn took power in 2015.

But the party's divisions were temporarily reduced in the wake of the 2017 General Election where Labour did surprisingly well.

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