Joan Ryan becomes eighth MP to quit Labour for Independent Group as historic split continues to rock party

An eighth Labour MP has quit to join an independent breakaway group as a historic split continues to rock the party.

Joan Ryan said Labour has become “infected with the scourge of anti-Jewish racism” under Jeremy Corbyn as she announced her resignation on Tuesday night.

The Labour MP for Enfield North described the decision to leave Labour as “terribly difficult”, but said she had no choice but to quit over Mr Corbyn’s handling of anti-Semitism.

Her move comes after a group of seven MPs quit the party yesterday, throwing the opposition into turmoil. Those who quit were: Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker and Mike Gapes.

Ms Ryan, 63, who joined Labour in 1983 and was first elected the MP for Enfield North in 1997, said: “I cannot remain a member of the Labour Party while its leadership allows Jews to be abused with impunity and the victims of such abuse to be ridiculed, have their motives questioned, and their integrity called into doubt.”

She will join the Independent Group in the House of Commons.

In a tweet, Ms Ryan said: "After 4 decades, I have made the terribly difficult decision to resign from the Labour Party. It is the greatest honour of my life to represent the people of Enfield North. I will continue to represent and speak up for them as a member of the [Independent Group].”

Addressing the departure of the seven MPs yesterday, Mr Corbyn said: “I regret that seven MPs decided they would no longer remain part of the Labour Party, I thank them for their work."

He added: "I hope they recognise that they were elected to Parliament on a manifesto that was based around investment in the future, was based around a more equal and fairer society and based around social justice

"They were elected to carry out those policies, they decided to go somewhere else and I regret that because I want our party to be strong, I want our party to be united around the policies that we have put forward."

Streatham MP Mr Umunna led the group of seven in announcing they would form a “new group of independent MPs” in “protest over the future of British politics.”

The seven MPs, who are calling themselves The Independent Group, quit over Mr Corbyn’s handling of Brexit and claims of anti-Semitism at a dramatic press conference.

Asked what he would do differently to address the concerns of his MPs, Mr Corbyn said: "Anyone who thinks they are not being consulted are not taking up, in my view, the opportunities that are available there and open and ready for them at all times to do that.

"I'm always prepared to discuss policies with people in the party and I do all the time."