Change UK Allen, Umuna, Woolaston, Shukar, Berger, Smith Left the Party

Oh it beats me how any group lucky enough to boast the charm and diplomacy of Anna Soubry could possibly go wrong...

Ms Anna ‘ I have no ego’ Soubry!
?

If Gavin Shuker has gone who is now responsible for funding and for the company he founded?

I didn’t think it would last, Soubry left because she wanted a people’s vote. Chukka for several reasons, anti semetism being one, this was one reason why the labour MP’s left and
the fact the party is no longer the party they joined

Soon I hope!

Crikey my comment re the ' 6' joining the Lib Dems was kinda tongue in cheek although a possibility I suppose.

The point is the Change UK Party founded by the ' 11' has hit the rocks so soon.

Will it, can it survive?

How long before Soubry is left as the party of ' 1'?

They should have abstained from the EU elections; it was too much too soon and a lot of people were annoyed that they took votes away from the LibDems and Greens. And, before anyone says anything the Brexit Party is not a newly formed part...

Those who remain in Chsnge U.K. will not join the Lib, those who left will be independent

Day6, I haven't posted on this thread!

Sorry, I meant a Lib Dem candidate in that constituency.... People who voted for a Labour candidate like Chukka did not vote for the Lib Dems; he did not ride on that ticket in the last election.

I think any MP who defects or leaves their party mid term should step down and be prepared to stand again, as an independent, in a by-election, just as the two did who defected to UKIP. Mark Reckless and Douglas Carswell, were re-elected initially but lost their seats later, but that's the chance you take for your principles, at the time.

If Chukka et al now join the Lib Dems, you can't have two MPs representing the same constituency. There will already be a Lib Dem MP there!

I too am a long time member of the Lib Dems. (1962) and Vince Cable had very little to do with the recent two election results. We might have done even better with a better leader.

The Lib Dems were the only consistently Remain mainstream party, so we were the only home for remainers. Yes, the Greens were also Remain but they are still not a mainstream party - although I think they will get there soon.

I don't agree with you Monica that Vince Cable has been a disaster for the party. We had great local election results and EU election results and the LibDems are riding high in all the opinion polls. I say this as a very long-standing LibDem member who has never been a big fan of Vince, but it seems to me he is going out on a high (unlike Theresa May).

I feel confident that either Jo Swinson or Ed Davey would lead the party to greater success and I hope that Sarah Woolaston, Heidi Allen, Chukka Umunna amnd the other MPs who have today left the CHange group will soon join us.

Anniebach, That could change

Anna Soubry has said they will not join the Libs

Relatively speaking M0nica? Well I'm 76 and all my voting life it has certainly been the party that has been voted for! On very odd occasions a well respected MP, such as Paddy Ashdown would be voted in on a personal level, but not very often.
These idiotic MP's should certainly have gone back to their constituents and put themselves up for re.election under their new banner. I expect they'll now join the libdems who will be daft enough to take them!!!!!

Well Kitty, if the politician you approved of was an Independent, all well and good.

However, Ummuna, for example, was elected on a Labour Party manifesto. Likewise, Soubry was a Conservative and that manifesto swayed people to vote for her. I am sure their track records may have counted for some, but most people tend to have a party allegiance. Very few of us know our candidates well enough to be aware of all their political beliefs. To ditch the party mid term is fair enough for an MP - that's what you do if you are principled - but they also take a party seat with them and dilute the strength of the group that got them in as MPs.

The electorate must decide if MPs abandoning their party and it's set of beliefs and standards mid term is acting in their interests. so in fairness to the whole system, defecting MPs should be re-elected (or not) as Independents via a by election. IMO, of course.

It was loose change to start with .

Small change now isn't it ?

I completely disagree with you Day6 MPs stand for Parliament as individuals, it is only relatively recently that party affiliations have been put on ballot papers.

Local party members choose their candidate (or should do) after interviewing several and choose the one whose views are closest to theirs. The electorate, the vast majority of whom belong to no party at all, choose the candidate whose views best match their own.

As far as I can see these leavers have not substantially changed their political opinions, just the party they choose to support them in, so they are still the person the electorate supported at the polls.

Constituencies elect representatives not parties and anyone who votes blindly for one party and always that party, and probably would vote for a donkey providing it was wearing the right colour rosette, should be ashamed of themselves. To do that is to show a contempt for the opportunities democracy gives us.

At one point we had a local MP who changed alliegance part way through Parliament. He didn't change his views and if he had not retired at the next election, I would probably have voted for him, because whatever party he was in, his political views where in line with most of mine and I vote for the person best able to represent my views, I do not vote for a coloured rosette.

I wouldn't call Chris Leslie 'self serving'. He's one of the most decent MP's this country has.

Yes, these self-serving politicians should have been prepared to stand down (they deserted their parties) and have had by elections in their constituencies. They cling on.

If Soubry ends up with even more egg on her face there will be much rejoicing.

I hope the electorate remember their Remain stance and lack of faith in their parties come the GE. Yes, all will hope to defect to the Lib Dems.

(repeat from other thread)

I always thought that for Chuka Umuna and some of the others, it was just a step towards joining the Lib Dems. They waited until they saw the Euro election results and will probably wait for the next election too.

As Lib Dem member, the party desperately needs a blood transfusion like this.

Vince Cable has been a disaster as the leader of the party and none of his potential replacements show any sign of being any better. Some seasoned ex-Labour MPs, most of whom had some presence in the Labour party and are used to making themselves heard, even when a minority, are just what is needed.

I think they thought they were going to work miracles and the recent EU elections showed they were mistaken.

As Independents I think they should think about giving their constituencies a bi election more than ever.

Really gives the electorate confidence when voting. Maybe they should have been called All Change UK.