Jeremy Corbyn confirms launch of new party with Zarah Sultana

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he is launching a ‘new kind of political party’ with fellow ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

Their approach to the new outfit is so novel,it doesn’t yet have a name – despite confusion over its website,which suggests it will be called Your Party.

In an interview following the launch announcement,veteran left-winger Corbyn said the name would come after combing through responses from the public,which were coming through at a rate of ‘500 a minute’.

The website for the as-yet-not-permanently-titled party features a sign-up form,a link for donations and a statement shared by the two founders.

It reads: ‘The system is rigged when 4.5 million children live in poverty in the sixth richest country in the world.

‘The system is rigged when giant corporations make a fortune from rising bills. The system is rigged when this government says there is no money for the poor,but billions for war.

Sign up to Metro's politics newsletter,Alright Gov?

Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight,walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.‘We cannot accept these injustices – and neither should you.’An ‘inaugural conference’ will take place at the end of a ‘founding process’,it adds.No date is given,though traditional party conference season in the UK takes place throughout September.Corbyn,76,said he wanted the name for the party to be ‘inclusive,effective to mobilise people and bring people in’,adding he is ‘ready to receive’ any ideas.Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana,who have formed the new party – but there’s a question mark over the name (Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)The news of the launch comes three weeks after Sultana – previously a prominent figure on the left of the Labour Party – announced she was resigning and would be launching a new party with Corbyn.Her announcement reportedly came as a surprise to Corbyn and his team,who were not expecting it to take place so soon.In a statement she shared at the time,Sultana wrote: ‘In 2029 [the year when the next general election is due],the choice will be stark: socialism or barbarism.’

New party could have big impact no matter what its name is,writes Craig Munro

Metro‘s Senior Politics Reporter Craig Munro reacts to the news:

Despite almost five years at the head of one of the UK’s two main political parties,Jeremy Corbyn is still seen as a political outsider thanks to his dramatic booting from Labour.

That’s a very precious position to hold,at a time when many in the UK have become deeply disillusioned with the current state of politics.

Corbyn and Sultana’s new party could thrive by appealing to those voters – in much the same way as Nigel Farage has with Reform UK.

Back in January,Farage was asked why some people who backed Corbyn during his time in charge of Labour were now supporting him.

His answer was fascinating – despite the two men belonging to very different parts of the political spectrum,the Reform leader argued they both believed ‘politics is in the pocket of the big corporates’ and represented the ‘anti-establishment’.

We could see some of those voters peel away from Reform if they see an opportunity to support Corbyn instead at the next election.

Either way,the last thing this Labour government could want is another alternative for those on the left who don’t like the direction in which they’re heading.

Got a question? Craig will be answering them in next Wednesday’s Alright,Gov? newsletter. Send yours in via [email protected] or by clicking here.

There is no mention in the statement of the four independent MPs who have been working alongside Corbyn in the informal Independent Alliance.

Shockat Adam,Adnan Hussain,Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed were all elected for the first time last year,on platforms that focused heavily on Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Hussain,Khan and Mohamed all shared Corbyn’s post announcing the formation of the party,with Hussain later sharing a statement from the Alliance confirming they will be involved.

Corbyn served as the Leader of the Opposition for almost five years until he was replaced as Labour leader by Keir Starmer in 2020.

He was suspended from the party for comments on antisemitism in October 2020,and was expelled last year.

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