New left-wing party eyes 2027 election after messy launch
Within minutes of Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana announcing she'd quit Labour and was forming a new left-wing party that she would co-lead alongside Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and his inner circle were furiously trying to undo it.
Still, if they get their act together — and there are some serious people involved here, which suggests they might — are there enough voters in Scotland who could be tempted?
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I spoke to some of those involved with the group, including members of the Secretariat — the three-person organising committee who've been in place since last December.
They say there's no doubt some Scots who voted Labour last year feel burned. The Welfare Bill, the two-child benefit cap, cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, that 'island of strangers' speech, and Gaza have all left a mark.
There's awareness the launch was messy — 'Zarah jumped the gun,' one said — but efforts are being made to pull things back together before the Westminster recess.
They believe the new party will launch properly in the next couple of weeks, with as many as six MPs and around 200 councillors on board.
The aim is to harness community campaigners, not just party insiders: 'It'll be people from disability campaigns, housing campaigners.'
A recent letter in Scottish Left Review set out some of the thinking here.
It called for a new left-wing alternative in response to climate breakdown, rising inequality and 'the rise of far-right and fascist formations'.
It condemned Labour and the SNP for continuing austerity and embracing militarism, and accused Sir Keir Starmer of 'driving millions into deeper poverty and destitution'.
'We cannot wait for deliverance,' they wrote. 'Building a left alternative is urgent.'
This Letter Group pledged to unite trade union, community and activist forces into a credible electoral force that could stand up to both 'the poison of Reform' and 'the failings of the other establishment parties'.
It was signed by, among others, independent Edinburgh councillor Ross McKenzie and Glasgow Labour councillor Matt Kerr.
Cllr Kerr didn't respond to my request for a comment, but Cllr McKenzie said he was "definitely interested in seeing how it develops."
"Clearly there are still unknowns about the structure this party will take and how that will be applied in Scotland," he added.
One of my sources claimed Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba as a possible supporter.
She didn't respond to my request for comment, and this could just be wishful thinking on the new party's behalf.
The new group don't yet have a name, though one contact said colleagues in England were mulling over calling it Solidarity — despite that name's history in Scotland.
It's worth pointing out the left is not all on board here. The Campaign for Socialism, the autonomous left-wing group within Scottish Labour, has urged supporters to stay and fight within the party, arguing Labour remains 'the best vehicle for the hopes of the many'.
They warned against handing Labour to those who would 'see it destroyed rather than become a vehicle for radical politics'.
If they get their act together and stand on the list next year, there's little doubt this new party could take votes from Scottish Labour, the Greens and the SNP.
But, my contact said, their main focus was on the 2027 local elections. Interestingly enough, a contact in Reform said the same thing to not that long ago.
Never mind the battle for Bute House — the battle for Scotland's town halls is already well underway.
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Government sees off backbench rebellion as welfare reforms clear Commons
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Who are the 47 Labour MPs who rebelled in the welfare reforms vote?
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Who are the 47 Labour MPs who rebelled in the welfare reforms vote?
Mother of the House Diane Abbott, former minister Dawn Butler, and former shadow minister Andy McDonald were among the 47 Labour MPs who voted against the welfare Bill at third reading. The reforms passed with MPs voting 336 votes to 242, majority 94. The Government had watered down its welfare plans last week by removing the personal independence payment (Pip) part of the Bill in a bid to appease angry backbenchers. Despite this, a number of Labour MPs remained unhappy with the now-called Universal Credit Bill. Speaking in the Commons, Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Poole MP, said the Government's earlier concessions were not enough 'because this Bill still contains a proposal to cut £2 billion from the universal credit health element for over 750,000 future claims'. Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said 'these changes do not alleviate all of my concerns', adding: 'One in three disabled people are already in poverty. 'This Bill, even after the Government's amendment, would take around £3,000 a year from the disabled people of the future.' Kim Johnson argued the Bill 'remains a danger to disabled people', adding: 'It's not just a bad policy, it's economically reckless, because when you take away essential support you don't reduce costs, you shift those costs on to the NHS, on to local authorities and on to unpaid carers and on to working class communities.' The Liverpool Riverside MP said she 'will not stand by while this Government has stripped away dignity, security and hope for the people I represent'. Mr McDonald described the situation as a 'shambles', adding: 'Now is the moment to stop the cuts, and I implore the Government to rethink this Bill.' The Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP said the welfare Bill would 'discourage' people from taking an opportunity to try and work. 'A Government that claims to care about fairness cannot proceed like this,' he added. Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, also urged the Government to 'pull this Bill', adding: 'Let's get it right for the people who really matter. Let's get it right for disabled people.' Cat Eccles, who spoke of her own experience of the system after she 'almost lost my life, followed by a total mental breakdown', also criticised the legislation. The Stourbridge MP said: 'I didn't come here to make people worse off, and that's why I still cannot support this Bill.' Stella Creasy tabled an amendment which would have required the Secretary of State to have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Walthamstow MP said her new clause four would aim to 'ensure that people can live a life of freedom equally alongside us as our fellow human beings' and that 'disabled people in our communities can meet their living expenses'. Here is a full list of Labour MPs who voted against the Bill at third reading: Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting), Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree), Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire), Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood), Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam), Chris Bloore (Redditch), Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool), Richard Burgon (Leeds East), Maureen Burke (Glasgow North East), Dawn Butler (Brent East), Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby), Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran), Stella Creasy (Walthamstow), Marsha De Cordova (Battersea), Peter Dowd (Bootle), Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole), Cat Eccles (Stourbridge), Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham), Barry Gardiner (Brent West), Tracy Gilbert (Edinburgh North and Leith), Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend), Chris Hinchliff (North East Hertfordshire), Alison Hume (Scarborough and Whitby), Imran Hussain (Bradford East), Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside), Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington), Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth), Emma Lewell (South Shields), Clive Lewis (Norwich South), Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford), Rachael Maskell (York Central), Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough and Thornaby East), Navendu Mishra (Stockport), Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central), Grahame Morris (Easington), Margaret Mullane (Dagenham and Rainham), Simon Opher (Stroud), Kate Osborne (Jarrow and Gateshead East), Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Marie Rimmer (St Helens South and Whiston), Euan Stainbank (Falkirk), Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South), Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth), Derek Twigg (Widnes and Halewood), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Mohammad Yasin (Bedford).
