A LABOUR councillor quit the party moments after the resignation of seven MPs.

Coun Matthew Courtliff represents Lydiard and Freshbrook, and will continue to do so as an independent politician.

He said: "Following the steps taken by seven MPs who have resigned the Labour whip, it is with sincere regret that I must follow my intuition and leave an institution that no longer represents the values and direction which I signed up to.

"A culture of toxicity has engulfed the party, with a divisive nastiness eating away at its core. The lack of action on antisemitism, the us vs them narrative, and the general anti-Western, anti-British sentiment has worn away at my resolve.

"The party leadership’s betrayal of my generation, and the effect it will have on my children, due to the inaction on Brexit has been the straw that has broken the camel’s back.

"The war to make Britain a fairer society continues, the battle for the Labour Party to make that happen has been lost."

In October 2016, Coun Courtliff defected to the Conservatives due to concerns over Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, then returned to the Labour Party less than 24 hours later saying he had made "a terrible mistake".