LONDON (AP) — A former Labour Party lawmaker in Britain has urged the public to vote for Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the upcoming general election, saying that Jeremy Corbyn is "unfit" to lead the country.

Ian Austin, one of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's closest allies, told the BBC that the party has been poisoned by "anti-Jewish racism under his leadership." Austin left the party in February over its handling of an anti-Semitism scandal.

He says, "I just think this man is unfit to run the country."

The startling interview came a day after deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, who has often clashed with Corbyn, announced he was stepping down. The two actions underscore the unease of many of Labour lawmakers with Corbyn's left-wing views and ambivalence over the European Union.