Dame Louise Ellman has quit the Labour Party blaming Jeremy Corbyn's leadership after more than 20 years serving as the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside.
Sharing a statement published on Wednesday night, the MP tweeted that she could "no longer advocate voting Labour when it risks becoming PM".
While confirming her resignation after 55 years as a Labour party member, she said she would not join any other party and said she hoped under different political leadership to "return to my political home".
She pledged to continue to serve "the people of Liverpool Riverside".
Her statement said: "I believe that Jeremy Corbyn is not fit to serve as our Prime Minister. With a looming general election and the possibility of him becoming Prime Minister, I feel I have to take a stand. I cannot advocate a government led by Jeremy Corbyn."
It went onto claim that under Mr Corbyn's leadership, antisemitism "has become mainstream in the Labour Party", with antisemites feeling "comfortable" and "vile conspiracy theories" allowed to flourish.
The statement continued: "Jeremy Corbyn - who spent three decades on the backbenches consorting with, and never confronting, anti-Semites, Holocaust deniers and terrorists - has attracted the support of too many antisemites.
"The Labour Party is no longer a safe place for Jews and Jeremy Corbyn must bear the responsibility for this. We cannot allow him to do to the country what he has done to the Labour Party."
Dame Louise, who is Jewish, was the subject of an emergency meeting of her constituency Labour party earlier this month, when members of Riverside's Executive Committee gathered to discuss the submission of a number of no confidence motions submitted against the MP.
In September, she called for her own constituency party to be suspended so an investigation could be launched into allegations of 'entryism' and antisemitism.
When the ECHO reported on this, a party source said the complaints would be taken seriously.
By quitting on the grounds of antisemitism, Dame Louise follows in the footsteps of Luciana Berger, the former Labour MP for Wavertree, who first resigned from Labour and later joined the Lib Dems. She plans to stand again, but in the London constituency of Finchley and Golders Green.
Dame Louise has been the MP for Liverpool Riverside since 1997, increasing her majority at the 2017 general election, with an 84.5% share of the vote.
Other Liverpool politicians paid tribute to Dame Louise, with Labour and Co-operative Party councillor Nick Small tweeting: "Very sad. I've worked with Louise since shortly after she was first elected in Riverside. I ran her election campaigns in 2010, 2015 and 2017. Louise has been an excellent local MP, as her record 85% vote share shows. She'll be missed by those that matter - her constituents."
Malcolm Kennedy, also a Labour councillor, tweeted: "Stunned. Distressed. Angry. The state of the Labour Party! Yet another Jewish colleague and friend forced out of Labour."
Lib Dem councillor Andrew Makinson tweeted: "We’ve not always agreed, but Louise has been a hard working MP and a champion for Liverpool."
And Labour councillor Paul D Grant tweeted: "Liverpool used to have two female Jewish MPs. Both have now left the Party saying it is not a place where Jewish people can feel at home and safe.
"There will always be political differences of opinion within Parties, but no minority group should feel this way.
"We must reflect."
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Jeremy Corbyn thanks Louise Ellman for her service to the Labour Party over many years.
"Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community and continue to take robust action to root out antisemitism in the party and wider society.
"Jeremy Corbyn has consistently supported struggles for human rights and justice around the world and made the right calls in the interests of security and peace."
