LONDON (AP) — A veteran lawmaker has quit the Labour Party grouping in Parliament, saying the party has become a "force for anti-Semitism."

Frank Field quit Thursday with a letter to the party's chief whip accusing the leadership of the left-of-center party of overseeing an "erosion of our core values."

Allegations of anti-Jewish prejudice within Labour have grown since veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader in 2015. Some in the party allege that Corbyn, a longtime critic of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, has allowed anti-Semitic abuse to go unchecked.

Field has sat in Parliament since 1979 and served as a minister in Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, but has found himself at odds with Corbyn and his left-wing supporters.

Field says he plans to remain in Parliament as an independent.