A ninth MP has resigned from the Labour Party in the UK.
Ian Austin announced his resignation today, but said he will not be joining the Independent Group set up by breakaway MPs earlier this week.
In an interview with his local paper the Express and Star, the MP claimed he's become "ashamed of the party".
He said: “The Labour Party has been my life, so this has been the hardest decision I have ever had to take.
"But I have to be honest and the truth is that I have become ashamed of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn.”
I have decided to leave the Labour Party and I wanted to tell people in Dudley first. https://t.co/IaXSwDry06
— Ian Austin (@LordIanAustin) February 22, 2019
He claimed that there's a "culture of extremism, antisemitism and intolerance" in the party.
Mr Martin also suggested that the "hard left" is now in charge of the UK's main opposition party.
He added: "I think Jeremy Corbyn has completely changed what was a mainstream party into a completely different party with very different values."
Call for by-elections
The Labour leader has already called on departing MPs to resign their seats and hold by-elections.
Mr Corbyn said: "These MPs now want to abandon the policies on which they were elected.
"So the decent and democratic thing for them to do is to resign and put themselves up for election."
Only Labour can deliver the change the people of our country need and deserve. pic.twitter.com/jruxHoGzsn
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 21, 2019
On Monday, seven Labour MPs announced their resignation from the party.
They're now to sit in parliament as an 'Independent Group'.
In a statement, the group said they "believe that none of today's political parties are fit to provide the leadership and direction needed by our country".
An eighth MP, Joan Ryan, has since joined the new group.
Three other MPs have also joined the new group after resigning from the Conservative Party over Theresa May's Brexit stance.
