Jeremy Corbyn is back. Five years after losing the Labour whip and just over a year since his expulsion, he has announced his intention to form a new party alongside Zarah Sultana, who herself left the Labour Party just over a month ago.
Jeremy Corbyn is back. Five years after losing the Labour whip and just over a year since his expulsion, he has announced his intention to form a new party alongside Zarah Sultana, who herself left the Labour Party just over a month ago.
Going by the name Your Party, a provisional name before a permanent one is chosen, the party’s opening statement has proclaimed its intention to create a “new kind of politics” with traditional socialist values at its heart, from community organisation and trade unionism to nationalisation of key industries and council house building. Your Party does not stop at domestic issues, going further by being adamantly pro-Palestine and condemning the rich for creating a system that victimises refugees as well as ordinary people, two issues which have topped the headlines over the past two years. The party aims to fill the gap left by Keir Starmer’s realignment of the Labour Party to the centre. In its first year the government has carefully walked the line of centrism, balancing social and foreign affairs as well as continued austerity in some departments, leaving many on the left dissatisfied and looking for a credible alternative, with Your Party hoping to rekindle the atmosphere of Labour during Corbyn’s leadership.
This base position for the new party and opposition to Labour is reflected in its early backers, with the founding of the party being managed by Corbyn’s Peace and Justice project, backed by people such as Ex Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and the Independent Alliance MPs in Parliament. Your Party despite its early beginnings has also managed to strike a chord with the public, with recent polling suggesting 1 in 5 would be open to voting for the new party. This goes a step further when 16 – 17-year-olds are included, with a recent Sunday Times poll showing voting intention shoots up to 21%, suggesting a significant appetite for the left-wing politics Corbyn and Your Party will offer.
However, it has not been all plain sailing for Your Party and much remains unclear. The party still lacks a permanent name, a defined leadership structure or much structure at all, or any clear and defined party platform away from socialist values. The result has been uncertainty and infighting within the party. Initially Sultana announced she would “co-lead the founding of a new party,” and she even jumped the gun announcing her intentions two weeks before any official statement had been prepared through a premature tweet. A position at odds with Corbyn who planned for a conference to be held in autumn where details could be ironed out. It did not end with the rocky start either, the inclusion of some Independent Alliance MPs such as Adnan Hussain has rustled feathers amongst potential supporters. The MP for Blackburn has previously expressed his belief in “safe third spaces” for trans people and stated, “they’re not biologically women, hence trans-women.” This position has led many to question whether the party can really represent left-wing politics if it includes those who hold socially conservative views. Further to this, Adnan was not the only member of the Independent Alliance to vote against an abortion bill amendment that would decriminalize abortions occurring after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Once again at odds with the traditionally socially liberal base Your Party is set to appeal to.
In politics nothing is certain but launching a party with no name, structure and little direction while including MPs with vast ideological differences is hardly a recipe for success. In a period ripe for anti-establishment parties, with Labour and the Conservatives polling at or below 20%, a new left force should thrive but therein lies the risks. The Green Party has acted as the traditional home for the left since Starmer’s ascension and Your Party risks splitting the vote. Despite this, the recent election of Zack Polanski as leader of the Greens has broadened the scope for cooperation either formally or informally, as he declared his desire for the Greens to become an “eco-populist movement.” A collaborative effort by the left, through an official pact or non-competition agreement, as seen in the 2019 general election between the then-Brexit Party and the Conservatives, represents the left’s best shot at taking on Reform UK, which currently holds a double-digit poll lead and has naturally taken the place as Britain’s anti-establishment party. If handled correctly there is a real possibility for Your Party to take the fight to Reform and offer the populist left wing politics many have been crying out for, making those who feel left behind by Westminster heard again.
In short, Your Party needs to get its act together and quickly if it wishes to seize the opportunity that lies ahead of it before it is too late and not make the same errors that have so long plagued left-wing movements. Through working with those with similar values and organising themselves into a credible alternative they can pose a threat at the next election, if not sooner.