Keir Starmer has suffered the first defection within his ranks less than three months after his electoral victory. MP Rosie Duffield has decided to leave the Labour Party condemning "hypocrisy" and "cruel and unnecessary policies" of the premier.
Duffield bid farewell with a harsh letter condemning "corruption, nepotism, and large-scale greed" demonstrated by the Starmer team in just ninety days in power, shaken by the scandal of personal gifts that has led to a decline in the polls.
The resignation of the MP for Canterbury is a blow to the premier, who already received a serious warning at the recently held Labour Party national conference in Liverpool, where unions and the left wing pushed a motion against his decision to withdraw aid for pensioners for winter heating.
Rosie Duffield will continue to serve as an MP on the "independent" bench, alongside former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, expelled by Starmer. The Labour Party now has 403 MPs compared to the 121 of the Conservative Party, which has been holding its national conference in Birmingham since Sunday, with four candidates vying to become the new leader.
The departure of the Labour MP, the fastest in recent history after an election, captured media attention on Sunday. Duffield had previously criticized Starmer and even joined the first internal rebellion in July when she broke the voting discipline in favor of a motion by the Scottish National Party calling for the removal of the two-child limit for social benefits.
"Someone who chooses to keep the limit that condemns many children to poverty while inexplicably accepting expensive gifts in the form of suits and designer glasses does not deserve the title of Labour Prime Minister," wrote Duffield in her resignation letter, stating that she "feels ashamed" of how Starmer and his inner circle "have humiliated and tarnished" the party's reputation.