Umuna made ‘very serious mistake’ in quitting Change UK, says Soubry
Anna Soubry delivers scathing attack on Brexit leaders. Photograph: Parliament TV. - Credit: Archant
Anna Soubry has said Chuka Umunna made a 'very serious mistake' in quitting Change UK, as she spoke of her frustration at the party's split.
Umunna was one of six MPs to walk out on Tuesday, leaving just five in the newly formed party.
New leader Soubry said she was disappointed to see the former Labour MP go but vowed to continue building the Change UK movement.
"I will always be more sad than you can imagine that Chuka is not with us," she told The Guardian.
"I think he's a man of huge ability and talents, and I think he has made a very serious mistake."
You may also want to watch:
Soubry said she believed Umunna should be a future prime minister, and spoke of being "beyond disappointed" when it became clear that he did not think Change UK should continue as a formal party.
Ex-leader Heidi Allen joined the exodus, alongside Sarah Wollaston, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith, with the six MPs saying they would now sit as independents.
Most Read
- 1 Brexit regret: Meet the Leave voters who wish they hadn't voted Leave
- 2 Labour leader defends NHS after being kicked out of pub in Bath
- 3 Opposition parties push for probe into Boris Johnson's conduct following viral video
- 4 ‘I should not have listened to Cameron’ – Former European Commission president
- 5 Scottish Tory leader accused of 'nonsense' excuse for Boris Johnson avoiding Scotland
- 6 A chapter is over for Britain, for good or ill
- 7 Welsh government refused permission for legal challenge over post-Brexit bill
- 8 New research reveals half of Brexit supporters were not 'left behind' red-wall voters
- 9 Russell Kane: Why working class people like Boris Johnson
- 10 Annalena Baerbock: Can the Queen of Green seize the Bundestag?
Along with former Tory minister Soubry, the remaining Change UK MPs are Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey.
The split came after the party, originally called the Independent Group and formed by breakaway Labour and Tory MPs, performed poorly in the European Parliament elections.
Soubry said setting up the party had not been without its difficulties, suggesting that some members "weren't even in the same book, never mind on the same page".
But, promising not to "give up at the first hurdle", she added: "We're now going to turn our attention on building a membership-based party, and of equal importance we've already started the work on formulating policies. That's already begun."
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
