Speculation mounts as veteran MP Frank Field to make announcement on political future
1 min read
Veteran MP Frank Field is to make an announcement on his political future amid speculation he could join another party.
The 77-year-old, who quit the Labour party last year, will reveal his future plans at noon on Friday.
Mr Field, who has been MP for Birkenhead since 1979, lost a vote of confidence by members of his local Labour party after he voted with the Government on Brexit.
Resigning the Labour whip last August, he said the party had become "a force for anti-Semitism" in British politics.
In a letter to Labour chief whip Nick Brown, he said: "Britain fought the Second World War to banish these views from our politics, but that superhuman effort and success is now under huge and sustained internal attack.
"The leadership is doing nothing substantive to address this erosion of our core values. It saddens me to say that we are increasingly seen as a racist party. This issue alone compels me to resign the whip."
Allies of Mr Corbyn responded by saying Mr Field should quit his seat and trigger a by-election.
According to the i, the MP is considering joining the Lib Dems or even Change UK - although both of those parties do not share his pro-Brexit views.
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