Ian Blackford has said that the case for Scottish independence is stronger than ever.
He said that Labour and the Tories "were at war with each other" over Brexit after seven Labour MPs announced their split from the party in protest over Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.
Former shadow cabinet ministers Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie will resign the whip, alongside Ann Coffey, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Luciana Berger and Gavin Shuker.
Westminster is failing Scotland. The UK is on the brink of a Brexit disaster, while Labour and the Tories are both at war with themselves. Westminster has proven itself incapable of standing up for Scotland's interests - the case for independence is clearer than ever.
— Ian Blackford (@IanBlackfordMP) February 18, 2019
They will now be known as The Independence Group.
READ MORE: Labour MPs split party in Corbyn leadership protest
Taking to social media, Ian Blackford wrote: "Westminster is failing Scotland. The UK is on the brink of a Brexit disaster, while Labour and the Tories are both at war with themselves. Westminster has proven itself incapable of standing up for Scotland's interests - the case for independence is clearer than ever."
This weekend, the SNP were accused of inserting independence into Brexit voting with Ian Murray MP saying: “The SNP are currently threatening to withhold support unless they are granted a second Scottish referendum to be written into law, in case Britain votes to confirm the PM’s deal.
“With less than 1,000 hours to go until Brexit, this merely confirms that the SNP don’t want to stop or soften Brexit, but are using it as a lever to rip Scotland out of its most important union – the U.K. They have no care for the jobs and livelihoods of Scots. Their only care is their ideology of independence.”
READ MORE: SNP accused of inserting independence into Brexit public vote talks
An SNP spokesperson responded: “Throughout this Brexit process, Labour have refused to work constructively with others – instead doing everything they can to avoid setting out any clear strategy.
“To top it off, on Thursday Labour MPs voted with the Tories against the SNP amendment to extend Article 50 and avoid an economic and constitutional crisis for Scotland.
“The polls are clear – Labour won’t be forgiven for siding with the Tories and failing to stand up for the interests of the Scottish people.”
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