Three British Conservative lawmakers defect to new ex-Labour Party independent group
- Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston announce they are leaving the Conservatives over handling of Brexit deal
Cracks in Britain’s political party system yawned wider Wednesday, as three pro-European lawmakers quit the governing Conservatives to join a newly formed centrist group of independents who are opposed to the government’s plan for Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston said they will join eight ex-opposition Labour Party lawmakers in the new alliance dubbed the Independent Group. The defections represent a small fraction of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons, but mark the biggest shake-up in years for Britain’s political parties.
In a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, the trio accused the Conservative Party of abandoning the political Centre ground, and said “the final straw for us has been this government’s disastrous handling of Brexit.”
With Britain’s departure from the EU due on March 29 and no deal on divorce terms yet agreed upon by British lawmakers, the three former Conservatives accused their own government of “recklessly marching the country to the cliff edge of no deal.”
May said she was saddened by the decision, but said the government was “doing the right thing for our country” by implementing voters’ decision to leave the EU.