Mr Corbyn tweeted: ‘The Prime Minister’s negotiations have failed. Last night’s agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised Parliament, and whipped her MPs to vote for.’

The Prime Minister last night announced ‘legally binding changes’ to the controversial Irish border backstop after a dramatic dash to Strasbourg and last-minute talks with Jean-Claude Juncker.

She had been hoping some Labour rebels would back her deal to secure Britain’s exit from the EU – but those hopes appear to be fading fast after Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said his legal advice that Britain could be trapped in the backstop remained ‘unchanged’.

In a second tweet, Mr Corbyn repeated his familiar refrain that Mrs May had been ‘running down the clock’ to March 29. 

‘Since her Brexit deal was so overwhelmingly rejected, the Prime Minister has recklessly run down the clock, failed to effectively negotiate with the EU and refused to find common ground for a deal Parliament could support. That’s why MPs must reject this deal.’ 

Mrs May will hope the changes to her deal will be enough to win backing for her plan from rebel Tory Brexiteers and the DUP in the meaningful vote tonight and secure Britain’s exit from the EU on March 29. 

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Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer (left) has warned the changes Mrs May has secured to the backstop may not be enough for Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to alter his legal advice, which this morning turned out to be the case. Both men are pictured in Westminster today 

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Mr Corbyn blasted Mrs May’s deal in tweets sent this morning and accused her of ‘running down the clock’ 

The PM’s plans received a major blow this morning after Attorney General Geoffrey Cox announced he was still of the opinion that Britain risked being stuck in the backstop ‘indefinitely’. 

This outcome had previously be predicted by shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer. 

He tweeted after the announcement: ‘Attorney General confirms that there have been no significant changes to the Withdrawal Agreement despite the legal documents that were agreed last night. The Government’s strategy is now in tatters.’

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Siobhain McDonagh said that hardline entryists into the party had a mindset ‘to be against capitalists and to see Jewish people as the financiers of capital’.

The Mitcham and Morden MP, a critic of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, hit out as the party’s furious long-running row over anti-Semitism showed no sign of calming down.

Asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether she thought the party was dealing with the problem ‘seriously, MS McDonagh said: “I’m not sure that some people in the Labour Party can.

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Mr Corbyn has found himself and his leadership at the centre of an ongoing and furious row over allegations of anti-Semitism in the party and how they are dealt with

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Chris Williamson was suspended by the party last week after saying it had been ‘too apologetic’ about the issue, sparking a massive backlash from MPs

“Because it’s very much part of their politics, of hard left politics, to be against capitalists and to see Jewish people as the financiers of capital. Ergo you are anti-Jewish people.’

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The Labour leader said he was ‘disappointed’ the MPs had resigned but sidestepped questions about whether he would change his approach.

Mr Corbyn has been warned by his own he must change his leadership style or face even more walkouts after the biggest split in British politics since 1981.

His intervention today ignores the warning of deputy leader Tom Watson, who refused to criticise the members of the Independent Group for their ‘premature’ decision.

Mr Corbyn even appears to be standing apart from his cloest ally in politics shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who called for a ‘mammoth listening exercise’ in the party today.

Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Ann Coffey and Mike Gapes left in rage at Mr Corbyn’s leadership. 

Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Ann Coffey and Mike Gapes left in rage at Mr Corbyn’s leadership

His intervention today ignores the warning of deputy leader Tom Watson, who refused to criticise the members of the Independent Group for their ‘premature’ decision

The Labour leader told the EEF conference in London today that anyone in Labour who did not feel they were being listened to ‘are not taking up the opportunities that are available’. 

Addressing the Make UK conference in London, Mr Corbyn said: ‘I regret that seven MPs decided they would no longer remain part of the Labour Party, I thank them for their work.

‘I hope they recognise that they were elected to Parliament on a manifesto that was based around investment in the future, was based around a more equal and fairer society and based around social justice.’

He added: ‘They were elected to carry out those policies, they decided to go somewhere else and I regret that because I want our party to be strong, I want our party to be united around the policies that we have put forward.’

Asked about Mr Watson’s call for him to work more consensually, Mr Corbyn blasted: ‘Anyone who thinks they are not being consulted are not taking up, in my view, the opportunities that are available there and open and ready for them at all times to do that.

‘I’m always prepared to discuss policies with people in the party and I do all the time.’ 

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Nick Boles, who has led cross-party efforts to secure the softest possible Brexit, stopped short of saying he would stay in the Tories and insisted he was fully focused on stopping a no deal on March 29 when asked if he would defect from the Conservatives.

Other Tory MPs such as Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston will also be the focus of attention with just 39 days until Brexit day. Both have vowed to do anything to stop a no deal and have warned they would quit the Tories if Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg became leader. 

At a sensational press conference Chuka Umunna, the ringleader of the new group, made a direct appeal to politicians in all parties warning voters were ‘sick of politics as usual’.  

He was one of seven Labour MPs to quit with an explosive attack on Jeremy Corbyn for letting anti-Semitism and a culture of bullying infect their party. 

After the move Mr Corbyn’s own deputy warned more MPs would abandon the party if Labour fails to deal with a culture of bullying and harassment. 

Tom Watson said he believed the decision of seven MPs to resign and set up a new Independent Group was ‘premature’ but he refused to condemn them as ‘traitors’ as he admitted he also no longer recognised parts of Labour.

Labour’s second in command said the hard-left takeover over of the party had left it with an army of activists ‘too easily tempted into the language of heresy and treachery’.  

The new ‘Independent Group’ of MPs is drawn from different generations of Labour and also includes pregnant  MP Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Ann Coffey and Mike Gapes. 

Their resignation signals the biggest split in British politics since the SDP walked out of Labour in 1981 and realigned the left – paving the way for Tony Blair’s election in 1997. 

They appealed to the public for donations to get the new project – which is not yet a political party and is not yet able to stand candidates – off the ground. 

They accused Mr Corbyn of turning Labour into a racist party that weakens national security, accepts the ‘narrative’ of Britain’s enemies and lashed him for facilitating Brexit. 

Luciana Berger said she had become ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ to be in Corbyn’s Labour, branding the party ‘institutionally anti-Semitic’. The MPs involved are (seated from left) Chris Leslie, Mike Gapes, Ann Coffey, Ms Berger, Angela Smith, Chuka Umunna and Gavin Shuker 

Vowing to ‘change politics’, the new ‘Independent Group’ of MPs – drawn from different generations of Labour – includes (from left) Chris Leslie, Mike Gapes, Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey, Chuka Umunna, Angela Smith and Gavin Shuker 

Tory MP Nick Boles stopped short of denying he would consider joining – insisting today he had not spoken to any of the seven MPs and was working with all sides to stop a no deal Brexit

Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson (pictured responding to the crisis today) said he believed the decision of seven MPs to resign and set up a new Independent Group was ‘premature’ but he refused to condemn them and admitted he no longer recognised parts of Labour

Mr Watson warned Mr Corbyn he could lose more MPs if he did not respond effectively to today’s blow.

He said: ‘I think our colleagues have come to a premature conclusion. But this is a moment for regret and reflection, not for a mood of anger or a tone of triumph. There are those who are already celebrating the departure of colleagues with whom they disagree.

‘The hard left can be too easily tempted into the language of heresy and treachery. Betrayal narratives and shouting insults at the departed might make some feel better briefly but it does nothing to address the reasons that good colleagues might want to leave.’

He added: ‘The identity of this party must be tolerant, multi-cultural, generous and welcoming. To put it mildly, we need to be kinder and gentler.

‘I love this party. But sometimes I no longer recognise it. That is why I do not regard those who have resigned today as traitors.’ 

Asked if he would join the new group, Mr Boles – who faces an attempt to de-select him by Brexiteer activists in his Grantham constituency – told BuzzFeed: ‘They’re all good people and I understand completely why they felt driven to leave Labour.

‘I have not spoken with any of them about their plans and am totally focused on working with MPs of all parties to stop a no-deal Brexit on 29 March.’ 

Mrs May’s former policy board chief George Freeman warned today: ‘Unless the Conservatives reunite around a pro-business Brexit and recast it as a moment of inspiring One Nation renewal for a new generation, we’ll be next.’ 

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