EMILY THORNBERRY accused defecting Labour MPs of “cuddling up to the Tories” as she and Jeremy Corbyn addressed hundreds of supporters in the East Midlands over the weekend.

The shadow foreign secretary said she would “rather die” than join another political party, accusing MPs who left Labour last week of misleading the public at the 2017 general election.

She spoke at a party rally in Broxtowe, the constituency of former Tory MP Anna Soubry who joined the eight former Labour MPs and two other former Tories in the newly formed Independent Group.

Ms Soubry holds a majority of 863.

Ms Thornberry told attendees: “I used to think that [Labour defectors] Chris Leslie and Chuka Umunna were just naive.

“I realise now that I was wrong. They just don’t care.

“They would rather have a Tory government than a socialist Labour government.”

Nine Labour MPs have resigned in total, and only Dudley MP Ian Austin has not joined the Independent Group.

Other Labour MPs look set to soon join the group, with rumours that right-wingers such as Barry Sheerman, Pat McFadden and Siobhain McDonagh are considering leaving the party this week.

Ms Thornberry also told the rally yesterday: “We have a great deal in common and the biggest thing we have in common is the fact that we are Labour.

“We are Labour to the core and Labour to the tips of our fingerprints – and we would rather die than join any other party and we would never think of joining the other eight people who have decided to abandon Labour and cuddle up to the Tories.”

Mr Corbyn accused the splitters of “having no problem with austerity.”

He added: “Our programme for change won huge support in the general election because we offered hope, instead of the same old Establishment demand for cuts, privatisation and austerity.”

The Labour leader also offered a defiant message of hope to Labour members by urging them to continue the fight against huge inequalities in society.

He told them: “Together, we will end the injustices of the past, and meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.

“We will take on the powerful interests who are determined that nothing will change.”