Under Jeremy Corbyn, every Labour quitter’s vote increased

Jeremy Corbyn


Support us and go ad-free

On 18 February, seven Labour MPs quit, to stand as independents. By 19 February, Joan Ryan had joined the Independent Group. All eight former Labour MPs have openly criticised Jeremy Corbyn, claiming his leadership is a key reason for leaving. Yet each and every one of them significantly increased their vote share under Corbyn in the 2017 general election.

The numbers don’t lie

So far, each Labour quitter has ruled out calling a by-election. On 20 February, the Times also reported that Labour might be considering “plans to consult on extending the rules” to trigger by-elections “to include an MP changing party allegiance”.

Yet one simple fact remains: in 2017, each Independent Group MP was elected with an increased majority with Corbyn as Labour leader:

Joan Ryan’s majority boost was similar, with a 14.3% increase.

Not happy

It remains to be seen whether these MPs will face a by-election. But many Labour voters are not happy.

People feel that if these MPs think their increased vote share was nothing to do with Corbyn, then they should be happy to face a by-election:

And some constituents have also spoken directly to the MPs they voted for as Labour candidates:

Labour saw its biggest voteshare increase since 1945 in the 2017 general election. The support Corbyn’s Labour attracted defied early predictions and resulted in a hung parliament.

Now three Conservative MPs – Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen – have also jumped ship to join the Independent Group. If the defections do force by-elections and voters refuse to back the newly independent MPs, it could tip the balance of the Conservatives’ narrow Commons majority. Eyes on…

Featured image via Sophie Brown – Wikimedia

Support us and go ad-free

We need your help to keep speaking the truth

Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.

Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.

We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.

In return, you get:

* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop

Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.

With your help we can continue:

* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do

We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?

The Canary Support us

Related articles