TECHNICAL difficulties, a racism row and someone behind-the-scenes at the BBC telling a bit too much truth ... it was some start for the UK’s newest political grouping.
If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, it was even revealed that the Independent Group, formed by ex-Labour MPs, wanted Ruth Davidson to lead their new centrist party.
It took just three hours from their launch for the new group to be embroiled in a racism scandal.
Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey are among the MPs from the party’s centrist wing who have been the loudest critics of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, his stance on Brexit and his handling of allegations of anti-Semitism.
They announced their departure from the party at a 10am press conference on Monday, forming what they call the Independent Group in Westminster.
However, within three hours of launching, they were already facing accusations of racism after Angela Smith referred to the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community as “funny tinged”.
Speaking on the issue of racism in the Labour party on BBC News, Smith said “the recent history of the party I’ve just left suggests that it’s not just about being black or a funny tinge”.
She stumbled around that last world, then clarified that she was referring to the BAME community.
The comment sparked outrage online, with Twitter user @judeinlondon2 quipping that she had “joined the Independent Group mistaking it for UKIP”.
In a video message posted on social media, Smith has since apologised. She said she mis-spoke and that she fights racism wherever she sees it.
It only took half an hour for their website to crash, though – so maybe going three hours was an achievement?
That wasn’t the only technical difficulty that will have had the group cringing, however.
The number one rule of live broadcasting is you ALWAYS need to be aware of where the microphone is.
Unfortunately, somebody seemed to forget that rule during the announcement.
BBC viewers were treated to a slightly unorthodox running commentary while a former Labour MP explained why they were leaving Labour.
A voice can be heard in the background muttering “not gonna lie, but between this and Brexit we’re utterly f**ked”, before saying that the Conservatives would win any future election.
To top it all off, it is now being reported that the group considered asking Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson to lead their new centrist party, according to Chris Deerin of the New Statesman.
Deerin reported that a senior figure at the heart of the breakaway said they need “a different strategy for Scotland”.
Given that their name is the “Independent Group”, and none of them support Scottish independence, perhaps one of them should have considered Scotland before now.
The move wasn’t popular with Young Labour either, though.
They tweeted: “Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer, we’ll keep the red flag flying here.”
It was later revealed that the group’s leaders were holding a vote on whether to delete the tweet.
Remember the name, though, and impress your mates when The Independent Group become a difficult quiz question in future years...
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