Veteran Labour MP and former Minister in the Blair Government, Frank Field, resigned from the Labour Party yesterday over the leadership’s handling of anti-Semitism allegations.
Mr Field, who attacked the “culture of nastiness” in the party, said to the BBC that he would spend the “next few days” deciding whether to stand down as an MP to trigger a by-election, in which he would stand against an official Labour candidate.
Mr Field, who has represented the Merseyside seat since 1979 and won in 2017 with a majority of 25,514, has faced previous efforts to de-select him. He denied he had “jumped before he was pushed” and said he intended to fight the next general election as an independent Labour candidate.
Mr Corbyn’s supporters have adamantly said he had quit because he was facing de-selection by local party members in Birkenhead.
He recently lost a vote of confidence organised by members angry at his support for the government in Brexit votes.