Latest news with #IslingtonNorth
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Corbyn says ‘discussions ongoing' as Sultana quits Labour to ‘co-lead new party'
Jeremy Corbyn has said 'discussions are ongoing' after Zarah Sultana announced she was quitting Labour to co-lead the founding of a new party with him. The former Labour Party leader congratulated Coventry South MP Ms Sultana on her 'principled decision' to leave Sir Keir Starmer's party. In a statement on X, independent Islington North MP Mr Corbyn said: 'Real change is coming. Real change is coming. — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 4, 2025 'One year on from the election, this Labour Government has refused to deliver the change people expected and deserved. Poverty, inequality and war are not inevitable. Our country needs to change direction, now. 'Congratulations to Zarah Sultana on her principled decision to leave the Labour Party. I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative. 'The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. Discussions are ongoing – and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve. 'Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope.' Ms Sultana, who had the Labour whip suspended last year, said on Thursday night she was quitting Sir Keir's party and would 'co-lead the founding of a new party' with the ex-Labour leader.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Shambles on the hard-Left: Zarah Sultana quits Labour to 'co-lead' new insurgent party with Jeremy Corbyn… but he is 'furious at being blindsided' by the MP (and they haven't agreed on a name)
An insurgent threat to Labour was teetering on the brink of chaos today as its launch descended into squabbling. Zarah Sultana dramatically quit Labour last night and declared she would be 'co-leading' a new left-wing party with Jeremy Corbyn. The ardent pro-Palestinian MP is a long-term critic of Keir Starmer, and was already sitting as an independent after being stripped of the whip. But it seems the move caught Mr Corbyn by surprise, with the former Labour leader said to be 'furious and bewildered' - although he has yet to respond publicly. There also appears to be no decision on what the name of the new party would be, with options mooted including 'Real Change' and 'Peace and Justice Project'. Mr Corbyn has been hinting strongly that he wants to form a new party - with polls suggesting it could attract 10 per cent of the left-wing vote and inflict major damage on Labour. In an interview on Wednesday the 76-year-old claimed there was a 'thirst' among voters 'for an alternative view to be put'. The ardent pro-Palestinian MP is a long-term critic of Keir Starmer , and was already sitting as an independent after being stripped of the whip Mr Corbyn has sat as the independent MP for Islington North since being suspended by Labour in 2020 for downplaying the extent of anti-Semitism in the party under his leadership. He was expelled last year but retained his seat in the general election, since when he has been part of the Independent Alliance, a loose grouping of independent MPs with left wing political views. Posting on X last night, Ms Sultana that she was 'resigning from the Labour Party'. She said: 'Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, with other independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the country.' She said that 'Westminster is broken but the real crisis is deeper' and the 'two-party system offers nothing but managed decline and broken promises'. 'A year ago I was suspended by the Labour Party for voting to abolish the two-child benefit cap and list 400,000 children out of poverty,' the former Labour MP added. I'd do it again. I voted against scrapping winter fuel payments for pensioners. I'd do it again. 'Now, the Government wants to make disabled people suffer; they just can't decide how much.' Appearing on ITV 's Peston on Wednesday - after opposing plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group - he said he was working with groups 'all around the country' 'That grouping will come together. There will be an alternative view and there will be an alternative put there which is about a society that deals with poverty, inequality and a foreign policy that's based on peace rather than war,' he said. Asked if he would like to lead the party he said: 'I'm here to work, I'm here to serve the people in the way I've always tried to do.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Could a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn reshape politics?
The MP for Islington North – ex-leader of the Labour Party and informal spokesperson for the 'Alliance' group of independents in the House of Commons – could be staging a bit of a comeback. Jeremy Corbyn has been on ITV's Peston to drop the heaviest hint yet that he wants to start a new socialist party, and he's ready to lead it. Nobody expects him to be prime minister (albeit he's been underestimated before), but he could make an impact of sorts. What has Corbyn been saying? For some months, he's been talking about the need for an 'alternative' on the left of British politics, and the welfare bill fiasco offers an opportunity for him to explain Labour's current disarray. Last September, Corbyn addressed a meeting aimed at founding a new left-wing party, Collective; his faithful ally, the former Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, also attended along with various former 'independent' candidates. Now, Corbyn says the Alliance group of five independent MPs 'have worked ... very well together over the past year in parliament' and offer 'an alternative of a left independent party of socialist views'. He says a 'grouping will come together, there will be an alternative' because there is 'a thirst for an alternative view … which is about a society that deals with poverty, inequality, and a foreign policy that's based on peace not war.' Will Corbyn lead it? He's obviously the most experienced and high-profile of the five MPs. On the other hand, he'll be about 80 by the time of the next election. He says: 'I'm here to work – I'm here to serve the people in the way I've always tried to do.' Will it happen? Certainly. Corbyn and the others who left the Labour fold know there's no way back for them, and that, even if there was, they are electorally better off standing as independent candidates or standing for the new party, whether it's called Independent, Alliance, Collective or something else. Would it succeed? Polling suggests such a grouping might capture about 10 per cent of the vote on average, taking votes principally away from Labour and thus hugely widening the gap between the government and Reform UK. More in Common found Labour would drop from 23 per cent of the vote to 20 per cent, with Reform unchanged at 27 per cent. Greens would also lose some support to the new Corbynistas. In short, the net result would make a Farage government more likely. The new party's support, as now, would tend to be higher in constituencies with larger Muslim or student populations and places where there are lots of middle-class public sector workers. Some big Labour names would be vulnerable to losing their seats on current trends: Shabana Mahmood (Birmingham Ladywood) and Wes Streeting (Ilford North). Who are the Alliance Group? Aside from Corbyn there are four who campaigned mainly on the Palestinian issue and in protest at Labour's stance, and all beat Labour candidates and MPs over the party's position on Gaza: Shockat Adam (Leicester South) who dislodged Jonathan Ashworth; Ayoub Khan (Birmingham Perry Barr); Adnan Hussain (Blackburn); and Iqbal Mohamed (Dewsbury and Batley). If grouped together, they number as many MPs as Reform UK or the Democratic Unionist Party; as a formal party, with electoral funding, they could wield more influence. Would they attract Labour MPs to defect? Quite possibly, especially if the Labour leadership keeps taking the whip off its leftist or pro-Palestine rebels so they feel they have nowhere else to go. Does Corbyn's grouping have any rivals on the left? Lots of Marxist sects, but at the moment it's mostly the Greens and the Workers Party of Britain, led by George Galloway, who are in the same sort of territory. Who knows what could happen there. They could compete with each other and split the radical vote; or cooperate Germany-style and maximise their parliamentary representation as a Red-Green coalition. The Workers Party of Britain ran Angela Rayner a close second in the last general election, although Galloway lost Rochdale to Labour. He might like a rematch with Labour member Paul Waugh. What might the new Corbyn party be like? To some degree, it would resemble Labour under Corbyn: a fairly clear alternative on most issues, a hopeless muddle on others – prone to splits, big on rallies and trade union links, at odds with the media and plagued by accusations of antisemitism. What do the five MPs agree on? Working to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, and left-of-centre economics. One particular matter that will take up their time in the coming months is the legal definition of Islamophobia and, indeed, the disgusting wave of anti-Muslim hatred that appears on social media and elsewhere. This rise in racism is a distressing trend for anyone, but especially so for Muslim people. The grooming gang scandal has worsened the problem. What are their differences? Depending on how far Galloway gets involved, these could include the extent of their support for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict; policy on the war in Ukraine; the EU; and 'culture war' controversies such as trans rights. Any other problems? The group's emergence as a party could exacerbate communalism in local politics in the big cities, based on ethnic or religious rather than class differences. The even more horrific prospect is that they allow a Farage-led government into power with all that entails for legitimising Islamophobia.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Jeremy Corbyn says he WILL form (and probably lead) a new hard-Left party to challenge Labour - as polls suggest 10% of voters could back it
Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed that he is working to create a new Left-wing party to challenge Labour - and did not rule out leading it the age of 76. The former opposition leader claimed there was a 'thirst' among voters 'for an alternative view to be put' forward, he said in a TV interview. Mr Corbyn has sat as the independent MP for Islington North since being suspended by Labour in 2020 for downplaying the extent of anti-Semitism in the party under his leadership. He was expelled last year but retained his seat in the general election, since when he has been part of the Independent Alliance, a loose grouping of independent MPs with left wing political views. Appearing on ITV 's Peston last night - after opposing plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group - he said he was working with groups 'all around the country' 'That grouping will come together. There will be an alternative view and there will be an alternative put there which is about a society that deals with poverty, inequality and a foreign policy that's based on peace rather than war,' he said. Asked if he would like to lead the party he said: 'I'm here to work, I'm here to serve the people in the way I've always tried to do.' It comes after a poll last week found that a new Left-wing party led by Mr Corbyn would attract 10 per cent of voters and pose a fresh challenge for Sir Keir Starmer. The survey by More in Common showed, if the ex-Labour leader were to front a new party, it would be backed by one in 10 voters. At the same time, Labour 's share of the vote would drop from its current 23 per cent to 20 per cent - leaving Sir Keir's party on the same level of support as the Tories. In a further split on the Left of British politics, the Greens would drop from 9 per cent to 5 per cent if Mr Corbyn took the helm of a new party. MPs last night backed the Government's move to ban direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, despite claims by Mr Corbyn that it would have a 'chilling effect' on protest. Legislation passed in the Commons on Wednesday, as MPs voted 385 to 26, majority 359 in favour of proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. The motion is expected to be debated and voted on by the House of Lords on Thursday before it becomes law. If approved, it would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it. Mr Corbyn said: 'Surely we should be looking at the issue that Palestine Action are concerned about, and the supply of weapons from this country to Israel, which has made all this possible. If this order goes through today, it will have a chilling effect on protests.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Corbyn criticises ‘silence and evasion' over Gaza in call for UK inquiry
Questions about Britain's relationship with Israel are met with 'silence and evasion', Jeremy Corbyn has claimed in fresh calls for a Gaza inquiry. The former Labour leader will use Parliament's ten-minute rule to demand a probe into what he described as 'Britain's role in genocide'. He is due to table his Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill in the Commons on June 4, which he can support with a speech lasting up to 10 minutes. 'We are witnessing a genocide, livestreamed before the entire world, and Britain's continued military co-operation with Israel is utterly indefensible,' Mr Corbyn said. The now-independent MP for Islington North added: 'The public deserves to know the full scale of the UK's complicity in crimes against humanity – and we are not going anywhere until we have established the truth.' He also told the PA news agency: 'Every week, MPs ask questions about the extent of Britain's military co-operation with Israel, including the supply and use of arms, military intelligence and British air bases. 'Every week, these questions are met with silence and evasion. 'It's time for a public inquiry into Britain's role in genocide — and for the truth to come out.' If Mr Corbyn's Bill receives MPs' backing next month, he faces a battle for parliamentary time so that it can clear the necessary stages and become law, but its progress could be accelerated if it attracts Government support. If it is agreed, the Bill would 'require the inquiry to consider any UK military, economic or political co-operation with Israel since October 2023', the month when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The inquiry would look at 'the sale, supply or use of weapons, surveillance aircraft and Royal Air Force bases' in the Middle East, and would have powers to 'question ministers and officials about decisions taken in relation to UK involvement'. The UK Government last year suspended around 30 arms export licences covering items used in the conflict in Gaza, from a total of approximately 350 licences to Israel. A UK assessment concluded 'there is a clear risk certain military exports to Israel might be used in violations of international humanitarian law'.
