It’s happening. Three weeks ago Zarah Sultana publicly quit the Labour Party, announcing her involvement in a new party with Jeremy Corbyn (in a move that some insiders described as “jumping the gun”). Now, Corbyn has caught up. A statement on X, co-signed by both MPs, heralded the arrival of a “new kind of political party” and asked readers to sign up to a website ambiguously named “Your Party”, leading to an “inaugural conference” at which the exact direction of this nameless new party will be decided.
In the statement, Corbyn and Sultana describe the UK’s political system as “rigged”. They point to key flashpoints on the left: child poverty, economic inequality, privatisation and, most significantly, Gaza. Expect this new party to diverge from Keir Starmer’s Labour on many of these issues.
The past three weeks have been fraught. On Tuesday, it was rumoured Sultana herself would not be involved as a co-leader. There were moments when it seemed as though the left’s perennial factionalism might kill this movement before it had even begun. But the electoral opportunity this moment presents was too enticing (as polling by More in Common for the New Statesman revealed, a Corbyn-led party could win 10 per cent of the vote).
This is not to be confused with the announcement of a Sultana/Corbyn-led party. Insiders confirmed this was instead a co-signed statement in support of a new party. From here the party’s direction and identity will be decided by a working group, led by Corbyn’s Independent Alliance of MPs, with definitive details confirmed at the ‘Your Party’ conference – the date for which is still to be confirmed.
Plenty on the left are calling this sort-of-non-launch confusing, and perhaps even bungled. First, everyone thought the new grouping would be called “Your Party” (which, as one pollster pointed out, would prove a nightmare for polling). Sultana snapped back, “It’s not called Your Party!” An insider said: “Your Party is an interim name to kickstart the democratic founding process of a party that belongs to the people. The party name will be decided during this founding process.”
Despite the chaotic announcement, this is a dangerous moment for Labour. And the dividing lines have now been drawn. In their statement, Sultana and Corbyn said: “The great dividers want you to think that the problems in our society are caused by migrants or refugees. They’re not. They are caused by an economic system that protects the interests of corporations and billionaires.”
This is a clear counter to Reform, whose anti-migration politics is presenting a rightward challenge to Labour. In coming out against an “economic system that protects…billionaires”, Corbyn and Sultana have re-drawn the left’s attack lines. And if Zack Polanski – whose platform of eco-populism is not dissimilar from Corbyn and Sultana’s demands – is victorious in next month’s Green Party leadership election, the populist left will be a serious force for Labour to contend with. If a Polanski-led Green Party and a Corbyn/Sultana-led new party struck an electoral deal, Labour could head into conference season several points down in the polls. Some are saying their approval rating could be as low as 17 points, under this hypothetical.
Today marks a new phase in British politics – the left has mobilised. The threat from Reform has long been realised. But now after months of speculation the war has officially (or, nearly officially) opened on Labour’s left flank too.
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