Who is Mike Gapes? Former Labour MP who resigned after 27 years in parliament
ONE of the Labour Party's longest serving MPs, Mike Gapes, has just resigned along with six colleagues to form an independent political party.
But who exactly is the MP, and why is he walking away from a party he's supported for so many years? Here's everything you need to know.
Who is Mike Gapes?
Mike Gapes has been the MP for Ilford South since the 1992 general election.
The 66-year-old served as International Secretary of the Labour Party from 1988 to 1992 and as Policy Research Officer prior to that.
Gapes is currently Chair of the All Party Crossrail Group, Chair of the Global Security and non Proliferation Group and Chair of the United Nations group.
He is very pro-remain in the Brexit debate, saying the UK should actually become closer with the EU rather than leave.
Famed for his 2017 speech about how Brexit would impact the production of milky liqueur Baileys, Gapes has often been parodied.
He is outspoken about UKIP, who he accused of being "racist" back in 2014.
Why did he resign from the Labour Party?
This morning seven Labour MPs stepped down to form a new independent party called The Independent Group.
These were Luciana Berger, Chuka Umunna, Mike Gapes, Ann Coffey, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith.
The seven MPs will now sit in parliament as an independent group of MPs.
Gapes says he is sickened by anti-semitism in the party and is furious that the Labour leadership is facilitating Brexit.
“Jeremy Corbyn and those around him are on the wrong side in so many international issues, from Russia, to Syria to Venezuela,” he says.
He also said: “This is not the Labour pay that I fought against Trotskyists in student politics. This is a Labour party that has changed beyond recognition.”
He says it’s about moral integrity and that he has come to his own breaking point.
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How long has Gapes been in parliament?
Gapes has been the Member of Parliament for Ilford South since the 1992 general election.
This means he's served in the role for 27 years and is a long-standing member of the Labour Party.
He was a founder member and convener of the Clause Four Group in 1974, and the sixth Chair of the National Organisation of Labour Students from 1976 to 1977, taking over following the defeat of the entryist Trotskyist Militant tendency.
In 1977 he was appointed as the first National Student Organiser of the Labour Party.
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