A group of Labour MPs hostile to Jeremy Corbyn discussed quitting the party in a "Valentine's Day breakup", with centrist rebels accelerating their plan to resign the whip and form a breakaway movement.

Five sources familiar with conversations that have taken place between up to 10 Labour backbenchers disclosed details of the plot to BuzzFeed News, shedding light on the internal deliberations between MPs who have decided their futures are outside the Labour party.

According to those sources, several MPs have made up their minds about leaving the party and considered making their move this week. Thursday and Friday were discussed as potential dates to announce resignations, the sources said.



One source said the rebel MPs have talked about resigning following Thursday’s Brexit votes in the House of Commons. “Friday has been talked about as the day to do it,” they said, adding that “7 to10” MPs are involved in the talks.

A second source with knowledge of the breakaway plot confirmed a “clichéd Valentine’s Day break-up” has been discussed by the MPs. Another source close to one of the MPs said it could happen “as soon as this weekend”.


A senior Labour MP and another party insider said some of the plotters wanted to time their departures with the next major round of Brexit votes. “Valentine’s Day was discussed a few weeks ago as it was thought the meaningful vote would be around then,” said one. Both of those sources suggested the MPs would wait until the next crunch Commons vote, expected on 27 February.

A source close to one of the MPs involved in the plot said they originally planned to leave the party together in May, anticipating that Labour would perform badly in the local elections that month. They said recent developments on Brexit and anti-Semitism had led some of the more hardline MPs in the group to accelerate the plan. The MPs may now go in “drips”, they said.

One of the MPs has told friends they plan to resign the whip in the next few weeks, according to a source familiar with that conversation. Another MP has asked their staff to stay on their payroll if they quit Labour, a separate source said.