The genesis of Brexit was the long-standing difference of opinion between the mainstream Conservative party MPs and their so-called “Eurosceptic” counterparts. This issue had festered with varying degrees of trouble for the party leadership since the days of Margaret Thatcher. David Cameron’s gambit was to call their bluff by running the EU referendum in the certainty (wrongly as it turns out) that the nation would back remaining the EU and the Eurosceptics and UKIP would become irrelevant – well half right then!
Since the vote, a bloc of Conservative MPs known as the European Research Group (to the right of the party and staunchly Eurosceptic) has widely been seen as forcing concessions from the party to adopt policies over Brexit more suited to their outlook. They were behind a no confidence vote in Mrs May and ensured that her withdrawal deal was humiliatingly rejected. They are comfortable with (if not actually in favour of) a no deal Brexit. Increasingly, mainstream Conservative MPs and grandees have been vocal in their opposition to ERG, suggesting that they are not really true Conservatives.
On the other side of the House, many believe that Jeremy Corbyn is actually in favour of Brexit, despite his party’s firm opposition to it, believing he sees it as a way to implement a Socialist agenda that EU membership would preclude (many suggest that what he seeks is compatible with EU membership). There is anger that he has yet to endorse a “People’s vote” as a way out of the impasse in parliament whilst he continues to insist it remains “an option on the table”. There is discomfort amongst Labour some MPs over the hostility towards some groups within the party and festering anger that the issue of anti-Semitism has not been properly and finally dealt with. This lead to a group of seven (now eight) Labour MPs leaving the party on Monday to sit in the commons as the Group of Independent MPs.
Whilst the breakaway of a group of 8 pro-European MPs is not earth shattering, it is believed that many more Labour MPs may be willing to join them unless Corbyn changes direction. It is also strongly suspected that a number of key Conservative MPs may also be willing to resign and join the grouping. This is significant since it is felt that many in parliament and in the country at large are unhappy about the leftwards shift of Labour under Corbyn and the unfettered rightist leanings in the Tory party. Bot leaders may need to change strategies if they are not to see moderates haemorrhage from their parties.