Jeremy Corbyn Confirms New Political Party With Zarah Sultana
3 min read
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana have jointly announced the formation of a new political party temporarily called 'Your Party'.
In a statement published by Corbyn on X on Thursday, the pair invited supporters to sign up to be part of the founding process. They confirmed that an inaugural conference will be held to work out the details of the new party in a democratic way.
"Sign up to build this party, together. Soon, we'll host an inaugural founding conference so you can help shape how your party works, what it stands for, and how we organise to win," reads the website, yourparty.uk.
PoliticsHome understands that 'Your Party' is only a holding name, and that there is no definitive timeline yet for holding the inaugural conference but it is widely expected to be coming in the autumn.
The website being used to build support is controlled by the Peace and Justice Project (PJP), an organisation set up by Corbyn. Pam Fitzpatrick, who stood as Labour's candidate for Harrow East in 2019 before being expelled from the party, is PJP's other director.
The 'yourparty' mailing list, while being managed by PJP, is understood to be exclusively for the new party that comes out of it, and a well-placed source said it will be combined with the mailing list launched by Sultana in early July.
The data connected to donations via the new website is controlled by MoU Operations, a company set up in April. Its directors are former North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll; Andrew Feinstein, who stood against Keir Starmer in his constituency last year as an Independent; and former Labour MP Beth Winter.
Sultana quit the Labour Party in July and announced that she would co-lead a new political outfit with Corbyn, joined by Independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the UK.
Corbyn, who lost the Labour whip in 2020 and was expelled from the party when he confirmed his plan to stand as an Independent candidate last year, congratulated Sultana on her “principled decision”. However, he did not confirm who would head the planned new left-wing party, describing discussions as "ongoing".
The Times reported that those involved in the founding of the new party – including Corbyn, Fitzpatrick, Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez, and his former chief of staff Karie Murphy – were unhappy about Sultana's first statement, which was published without Corbyn's agreement.
An organising committee had voted in favour of a co-leadership model with Corbyn and Sultana, rather than a Corbyn-led initiative, but PoliticsHome understands that some of Corbyn's allies believe the party would be better led by Corbyn alone – at least initially.
Sultana has now joined the Independent Alliance, a parliamentary grouping that brings together the five pro-Gaza MPs elected as Independents in 2024 including Corbyn.
In the new statement, Corbyn today declared that "the system is rigged" and redistributing wealth and power is the only way to "fix the crises of our society".
The statement added: "Our movement is made up of all faiths and none. 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. It is ordinary people who create the wealth – and it is ordinary people who have the power to put it back where it belongs.
"It's time for a new kind of political party. One that is rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements. One that builds power in all regions and nations. One that belongs to you."
