He also criticised Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour leadership saying “they are now complicit in facilitating Brexit, which will cause great economic, social and political damage to our country.”
Mike Gapes who had been the Labour MP for Ilford South since 1992 will now stand as an independent.
His full letter to constituents is below:
Dear constituents,
I am writing to you today to inform you that I have, this morning, resigned from the Labour Party.
This has not been an easy or sudden decision.
I joined the Labour Party fifty years ago, aged 16. I have been active at all levels, from Redbridge Young Socialist Branch Treasurer, to Chair of the National Organisation of Labour Students. I worked for fifteen years at Labour Party Head Office, including as head of the International Section. Since 1992 I have been your Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Ilford South.
I have always considered myself Labour to my core. I have many good friends in the Labour Party locally, nationally, and internationally. I care passionately about traditional Labour values of fairness, social justice, equality and internationalism. I will never put the national security of our country at risk. I will fight for strong UK defence and security inside NATO and to remain in the EU. I will continue to support the global rules based system which our country helped to establish and which is now under threat from Trump and Putin.
Recent political positions taken by the leadership of the Labour Party have been increasingly difficult to justify or support. This is not the Labour Party I joined or have supported for so many years.
I am sickened that Labour is now perceived by many as a racist, anti-Semitic party. The National Executive Committee did eventually, despite the opposition of the Party Leader, agree to the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism and all working examples. But there has been considerable reluctance since then to seriously deal with hundreds of cases of anti-Semitism and several prominent anti-Semites have been readmitted to the Party.
It is increasingly clear that prominent figures in the Corbyn Labour leadership do not want to stop Brexit. Indeed, they are now complicit in facilitating Brexit, which will cause great economic, social and political damage to our country. They whipped Labour MPs to trigger Article 50. They opposed amendments which would have kept the UK in the Single Market and European Economic Area. They have delayed and obstructed attempts to implement the agreed policy of the 2018 Labour Party Conference, to secure a People’s Vote with the option to Remain in the EU.
Jeremy Corbyn, and those around him, are also on the wrong side on so many international issues from Russia, to Syria, to Venezuela. If he ever became Prime Minister it would be a threat to our national security and international alliances.
I have always worked hard to represent the interests of my constituents and my country. I must be true to myself and my values. I must also be honest with my constituents. A Corbyn government would threaten the prosperity and security of our country. I cannot support that. I am therefore resigning from the Labour Party.
Members of Parliament are not party delegates. They are the elected representatives of their constituents. I am pleased that my constituents have elected me seven times, and that my majority has increased from 402 in 1992 to 31,647 in 2017.
It has been a great privilege and honour to represent my constituents for 27 years, to serve my diverse, vibrant, growing constituency, to fight for Crossrail, to fight to save King George Hospital, and to be part of the Labour government team that negotiated the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement.
My office has helped tens of thousands of constituents on issues like housing, health, education, benefits, transport, asylum and immigration. We will continue to do so. I will continue to be your local man, with a national and international voice. I will now represent you in Parliament as a member of the new Independent Group of MPs.
If you have any issues to raise on any matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Gapes
