MOMENTUM co-chairwoman Hilary Schan announced her resignation from Labour today, saying that she is joining the We Deserve Better campaign launched by Owen Jones.

Ms Schan, a councillor in Worthing,  said she aimed to help build an alternative to “the race to the bottom between Labour and the Tories” by electing independents and Greens who, along with socialist Labour MPs, can “[put] pressure [on Sir Keir] Starmer to finally listen to progressive voters he has taken for granted.”

She could not look her “constituents in the eye and tell them to vote for a Labour government which will only let them down,” Ms Schan said, adding that the party is now “simply a Tory-lite party at best.”

Stressing that she “cannot remain a member of a party whose leader endorsed a war crime by Israel,” she said: “The local elections show that, in key constituencies, we have the opportunity with We Deserve Better to elect socialist representatives who will stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and hold the incoming Labour government’s feet to the fire.

“I’m excited to be working with We Deserve Better to build that alternative and I urge all those who feel politically abandoned by Labour to join us.”

A Momentum spokesperson said: “We’d like to place on record our thanks for her leadership and dedicated service to our movement.

“It is a sad state of affairs for Keir Starmer's Labour Party when committed activists like Hilary, who work so hard to deliver progressive change for their communities, no longer feel it is the place for them.

“Momentum remains focused on organising for a democratic Labour Party which views its members and core voters as an asset, not an inconvenience.

“We will keep campaigning for real Labour policies which deliver the country the transformative change it is crying out for, instead of constant U-turns and corporate-friendly policies.”