Former Labour activist Owen Jones has said he has quit the party due to the direction that Labour leader Keir Starmer is taking it.

Until today, Jones has been a staunch Labour supporter for his entire adult life. He later became a prominent campaigner for fellow socialist Jeremy Corbyn in both the 2015 General Election and the 2019 General Election.

Born in Sheffield and raised in Stockport, Jones prides himself on giving a voice to minorities and the working class and is a vocal critic of the Conservative Party and right-wing groups.

Earlier today, Jones posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing his intention to leave Labour and asked his supporters to support either Green or Independent candidates. Or "Labour candidates who still support those policies that millions of us want to fix our battered and bruised country."

Jones said that the "Labour Party is over" under Starmer and explained his reasoning in a 7-minute clip.

"Labour are going to keep the same ruinous policies that trashed this country," Jones added.

"They support keeping Tory policies that drive hundreds of thousands of kids into poverty and hardship. Like the two-child benefit cap.

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"When asked what their big alternative to the Tories is, they said it's going after benefits claimants like George Osbourne did."

Later in the clip, Jones explained how we "all have our red lines" and that his are "backing war crimes and mass slaughter", referring to Labour's stance on the Israel-Gaza crisis.

He later promoted the crowd funder: wedeservebetter.uk which aims to raise funds for Green Party and Independent candidates, or, Labour candidates who oppose much of Starmer's polarising policies.

Mr Jones made a name for himself with his debut book, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class.

He then published his second work The Establishment: And How They Get Away With It.

Both books received praise from critics and he won several awards for his work.