The Independents (UK)

The Independents were a group of independent MPs in the UK House of Commons that came together in July 2019.[1] The group, which was not a registered political party, described itself as a "co-operative of independent politicians" who hoped to "encourage a stronger spirit of cross-party working" and "will work collaboratively in the national interest".[2] As a technical group, The Independents did not have any formal policies, only providing administrative support to its members whom were bound by its six key values[3][4] of "country first, collaboration, integrity, respect, leadership and openness".[5]

This article is about the UK political group founded in July 2019. For similarly-named groups, see The Independents (disambiguation) and Independent Group (disambiguation).

The Independents
Founded10 July 2019 (2019-07-10)
Dissolved12 January 2020 (2020-13-12)
Split fromChange UK
Headquarters1 Mill Yard
Guildford Street
Luton
LU1 2NR
Colours  Magenta
SloganIndependent together
Website
https://www.theindependents.org.uk/

The group had five founding members, four who were elected as Labour MPs and one as a Conservative. When parliament was dissolved for the 2019 general election, three had left to join the Liberal Democrats and two remained.

History

The group was formed on 10 July 2019 by five MPs, four of whom were among six MPs who left Change UK on 4 June.[6] The four had been in Change UK since February 2019, having previously been members of the Labour Party (three of them) or the Conservative Party (one). (The others who left Change UK at that time, Chuka Umunna and Sarah Wollaston, joined the Liberal Democrats.) The fifth member of the new group, John Woodcock, had been suspended from Labour in 2018 over charges of sexual harassment and left the party while under investigation. He has offered to have the charges investigated under the new group's procedures.[7]

Following the formation of the group, member Heidi Allen said that it would not offer a policy platform; instead it would provide administrative functions and support to member MPs. She also stated that there was no intention for the group to become a political party.[3]

Luciana Berger and Angela Smith left the group to join the Liberal Democrats in early September 2019,[8][9] and Allen followed on 7 October 2019.[10]

In the 2019 general election, Woodcock did not stand for reelection and Shuker ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate.[11][12] Former members Berger and Smith ran as Liberal Democrat candidates and were also unsuccessful; Allen did not stand for re-election.

Members

The following MPs were members at the 2019 dissolution:[13]

Name Constituency Joined Notes
Gavin ShukerLuton South10 July 2019 (2019-07-10) Previously a member of Change UK; was elected as a Labour MP
John WoodcockBarrow and Furness10 July 2019 (2019-07-10) Was elected as a Labour MP

The following MPs had previously been members:

Name Constituency Joined Left Notes
Luciana BergerLiverpool Wavertree10 July 2019 (2019-07-10) 5 September 2019 (2019-09-05) Previously a member of Change UK; was elected as a Labour MP. Joined the Liberal Democrats.[8]
Angela SmithPenistone and Stocksbridge10 July 2019 (2019-07-10) 7 September 2019 (2019-09-07) Previously a member of Change UK; was elected as a Labour MP. Joined the Liberal Democrats.[9]
Heidi Allen South Cambridgeshire 10 July 2019 7 October 2019 Previously a member of Change UK; was elected as a Conservative MP. Joined the Liberal Democrats.[10]

References
  1. Zeffman, Henry (10 July 2019). "All change: independent MPs team up, but not as a party". The Times. Retrieved 10 July 2019.(subscription required)
  2. McCarthy, Sebastian (10 July 2019). "Take two: Ex-Change UK MPs forge new alliance called The Independents". City AM. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  3. Lines, Harriet (11 July 2019). "Five UK MPs form new commons grouping to support independent parliamentarians". Gibraltar Chronicle. Press Association. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. "Values". The Independents. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  5. Chaplain, Chloe (10 July 2019). "The Independents: Ex-Change UK MPs re-brand again with another new political group". The i. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  6. Morris, James (10 July 2019). "The Independents: Ex-Change UK MPs form ANOTHER political group". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. Elgot, Jessica (10 July 2019). "Change UK exiles rebrand again as the Independents". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  8. "Ex-Labour MP Berger switches to Liberal Democrats". BBC News. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  9. "Angela Smith: Former Labour MP joins the Lib Dems". BBC News. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  10. "MP Heidi Allen: Former Tory MP joins Liberal Democrats". BBC News. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  11. Fenton, Amy (4 November 2019). "Barrow MP John Woodcock resigns". The Mail.
  12. MP, Gavin Shuker [@gavinshuker] (29 October 2019). "There'll be a general election on 12 December; I'll stand as the *Independent* candidate for Luton South. Luton has always been my home - it's been an honour to be our voice in parliament since 2010. Our politics has changed a lot in that time. Fundamentally, mine hasn't. (1/4)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. "Who is involved". The Independents. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
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