The Independent Group

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The Independent Group is a pro-EU political party, founded in Feb.2019. All members of the group support a second EU referendum. The group is considered to be centrist.

The group's 7 founding members resigned from the Labour Party, citing their dissatisfaction with the Labour leadership's approach to Brexit and its handling of antisemitism within the party, and announced their intention to sit as a group of independent MPs under the name "The Independent Group".
In the following days, they were joined by another Labour MP citing similar reasons, and by 3 Conservative MPs citing their opposition to the party's Brexit policies, a lack of concern within the party for the "most vulnerable in society", and what they see as a right-wing takeover of the Conservatives.

Group Members

The list of members is current as of Apr.23.2019. Members' former parties are shown as a guide; they are no longer affiliated with them.
Members of Parliament
Members of the European Parliament

Funding

Gavin Shuker registered a company The Independent Group (TIG) Ltd,(CH) in Jan.2019, to support the members and collect donations on their behalf. Being a private company means the group aren’t held to account by the Electoral Commission, and do not need to declare their donors; however the group has said it will disclose donations in line with law that governs donations for political parties, ie. only accepting money from UK donors and naming individuals who give more than £7,500.ref,ref,ref

Luciana Berger stated that the 7 founders funded the launch themselves,ref; the group claimed that thousands of donors gave small amounts within days of the launch.ref

  • Feb.2019: Charlie Mullins, a prior Tory donor, confirmed he will make a donation of at least £2,000 pounds to the Group, which may turn into ongoing funding worth tens of thousands.ref
  • Feb.2019: David Garrard, a prior Labour Party donor, told The Observer that he had given financial support to the group.ref
  • Mar.2019: Lord Myners, former City Minister under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, made a "significant" donation.ref

As of Apr.22.2019, none of the group have declared any benefits on the most recent register of interests, although the 28-day period during which they are required to do so has long passed.[1]

Timeline

Apr.16.2019MEPs Julie Girling and Richard Ashworth announced that they had joined The Independent Group.ref Both had been suspended from the Conservatives after supporting a motion in the European Parliament saying sufficient progress had not been made in Brexit negotiations to allow trade talks to start.ref
Apr.2019former MPs Stephen Dorrell, Neil Carmichael, Tom Levitt, Roger Casale, and former MEP Carole Tongue left their respective parties to support the group.ref
Mar.2019TIG announced it had applied to the Electoral Commission to become a political party, in order to be able to stand candidates in the upcoming May.2019 European elections. The registration, as "Change UK – The Independent Group", was confirmed in Apr.2019.
Feb.2019Labour councillors ~12 councils left the party, intending to align with the group.ref,ref There have been further resignations from the party by Labour councillors in Barnet, Bexley, Derby, Salford, Sheffield and Stafford. Many give the same reasons as the Labour MPs who left the party: alleged antisemitism, Corbyn's leadership and Brexit.ref
Feb.20.2019 Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, and Anna Soubry joined the group, citing Theresa May's handling of Brexit; reliance on the European Research Group and the Democratic Unionist Party in passing Brexit-related legislation; and "the takeover" of the Conservative Party by "right wing, hard-line anti-EU" MPs.refref
Feb.19.2019 Joan Ryan joined the group.ref Berger had lost a vote of no-confidence in her constituency in Sept.2018.ref
Feb.18.2019The group was founded by Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith and Chuka Umunna.[2] Shuker, Smith and Leslie had all lost votes of no-confidence in late 2018 brought by their constituency parties. Gapes said he was "furious that the Labour leadership is complicit in facilitating Brexit".[3][4]

Articles

  • Apr.23.2019: Neil Davidson, treasurer of Change UK, used tax dodge denounced by minister. Neil Davidson, a wealthy businessman who is also the partner of Anna Soubry, the Change UK MP and former Tory, told The Sunday Times that he had repaid substantial sums to the authorities. Davidson was among hundreds of rich investors who took part in Eclipse film partnerships — tax avoidance schemes set up by Future Capital Partners. Andrew Gilligan, The Times.

References

  1. ^ Tiggers In Mass Breach Of Parliamentary Standards? ...it seems plain that all the MPs have received substantial benefits, both financially and in kind, from The Independent Group Ltd. But none have declared any benefits on the most recent register of interests, although the 28-day period during which they are required to do so has long passed. Maria Roberts, The Prole Star, Apr.22.2019.
  2. ^ Four Co-op Party MPs quit the Labour Party as part of breakaway group. Mike Gapes, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker and Chris Leslie join four Labour MPs and three Tories in the Independent Group. Miles Hadfield, Coop News, Feb.20.2019.
  3. ^ Seven MPs leave Labour Party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. They are: Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey. BBC News, Feb.18.2019.
  4. ^ Questions about the launch of the new Independent Group of MPs. The formation of the new Independent Group has sparked a series of questions about the group, its members, who else might join them and what happens next. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions. ITV News, Feb.18.2019.