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The United Kingdom\u2019s new left-wing political party, Your Party, cofounded by former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, has become mired in a bitter divide between its leaders.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Your Party cofounder Zarah Sultana said she would skip the first day of the newly formed group\u2019s inaugural two-day conference following a serious disagreement over who could attend.<\/p>\n
After the UK\u2019s last general election in 2024, which the Labour Party won in a landslide following 14 years of Conservative Party rule, Corbyn and four other left-leaning independents \u2013 Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed \u2013 formed the Independent Alliance, which focused heavily on taking a pro-Palestine position over Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza.<\/p>\n
Corbyn, 76, stepped down as leader of the Labour Party following yet another election defeat to the Conservatives in 2019.<\/p>\n
Among other issues, Corbyn had long weathered accusations of anti-Semitism during his leadership of Labour, something many described as a \u201cwitch-hunt\u201d against him and his supporters.<\/p>\n
In 2020, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published its findings that Labour had broken the law on anti-Jewish racism. It partially blamed \u201cserious failings\u201d under Corbyn\u2019s leadership of the party.<\/p>\n
In response, Corbyn stated that anti-Semitism was \u201cabsolutely abhorrent\u201d, but added: \u201cThe scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result, he was immediately suspended from the party. He was readmitted in 2020, but ultimately left the Labour Party altogether in 2024 \u2013 after nearly 60 years of membership \u2013 to become an independent MP.<\/p>\n
In late July this year, he announced that he would cofound a new socialist party with fellow independent MP Zarah Sultana, 32, who also became an independent after leaving Labour on July 3. Other members of the Independent Alliance also joined. The aim was to present the new party as a credible left\u2011wing alternative to the governing Labour Party.<\/p>\n
In a statement at the time, Corbyn and Sultana said: \u201cThe system is rigged when the government says there is no money for the poor, but billions for war.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement added that they envisioned a party \u201crooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a party, we\u2019ve got to come together and be united because division and disunity will not serve the interests of the people that we want to represent,\u201d Corbyn said during the inaugural conference, which took place in the northwestern English city of Liverpool and finished with a rousing rendition of Bella Ciao \u2013 an Italian antifascist folk song \u2013 by attendees.<\/p>\n
Sultana announced on Saturday that she would not attend in protest against one of her supporters being denied entry to the event and several others being expelled from the party for also allegedly being members of the far-left Socialist Workers Party.<\/p>\n
Sultana told the Press Association news agency: \u201cI\u2019m disappointed to see on the morning of our founding conference, people who have travelled from all over the country, spent a lot of money on their train fare, on hotels, on being able to participate in this conference, being told that they have been expelled.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThat is a culture that is reminiscent of the Labour Party, how there were witch-hunts on the eve of conference, how members were treated with contempt.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, an unnamed spokesperson for Your Party defended the decision to bar members of the Socialist Workers Party. The spokesperson told UK media: \u201cMembers of another national political party signed up to Your Party in contravention of clearly stated membership rules \u2013 and these rules were enforced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sultana attended the second day of the conference on Sunday, when she apologised for what she described as \u201chiccups\u201d during the launch of the party.<\/p>\n
However, she added, \u201cThe expulsions, bans and censorship on conference floor are unacceptable. It\u2019s undemocratic. It\u2019s an attack on members and on this movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fledgling party has been beset by disagreements over several issues.<\/p>\n
In November, senior figures including Corbyn, Iqbal Mohamed, and Adnan Hussain accused Sultana of withholding more than 800,000 pounds ($1.06m) in donations made to the party when it was first announced in July.<\/p>\n
Since the party was still in the process of being formally registered as a legal entity, the funds were temporarily collected by a private company called MoU Operations Ltd, which is controlled by Sultana.<\/p>\n
The BBC reported on November 8 that an unnamed spokesperson for Sultana said she \u201cis in the process of transferring all funds and data\u201d but was conducting \u201cessential due diligence as part of this process\u201d.<\/p>\n
As of mid-November, the party had received a \u201csmall portion\u201d of the funds, according to a statement by Your Party leaders. There has not been a more recent update on the status of the remaining funds.<\/p>\n
There was a disagreement over how the newly formed party should be led.<\/p>\n
While Sultana was pushing for a collective of leaders to reflect grassroots representation \u2013 what she terms \u201cmaximum member democracy\u201d \u2013 Corbyn said a single, traditional leader would be more effective.<\/p>\n
In the end, the party voted for a collective of leaders by a narrow margin of 51.6 percent to 48.4 percent.<\/p>\n
This means that the party will now be headed by a collective of leaders, which will be overseen by a party member who is not a member of parliament.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, many see the problems which have beset the party as being down to a fight for control between Corbyn and Sultana.<\/p>\n
The UK media have reported that Corbyn supporters were irritated by Sultana\u2019s decision to hold a pre-conference rally on the night before the conference began. While she called it a Your Party event, they claimed it was organised solely by her.<\/p>\n
Several members of the new party, including some working MPs, have already quit as supporters of Corbyn accuse Sultana of trying to undermine him and vice versa. On November 14, Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain announced in an X post that he had decided to leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe culture surrounding the party has become dominated by persistent infighting, factional competition and a struggle for power, position and influence rather than a shared commitment to the common good,\u201d Hussain wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of openness, cooperation and outward focus, the environment has too often felt toxic, exclusionary and deeply disheartening,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\nAfter much thought, I have made the difficult decision to step out of the steering process for Your Party.<\/p>\n
I wish those who continue to work on this endeavour the very best of luck and hope their hard work achieves the results they desire. pic.twitter.com\/zz4EevEIzu<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Adnan Hussain MP (@AdnanHussainMP) November 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
A week later, Dewsbury and Batley MP Iqbal Mohamed also announced his departure.<\/p>\n
In a statement posted on X on November 21, Mohamed said: \u201cThe many false allegations and smears made against me and others, and reported as fact without evidence, have been surprising and disappointing. However, I am confident that my colleagues and I have acted professionally, patiently, and in good faith throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMy statement on my departure from Your Party. pic.twitter.com\/NsoNLHU7xI<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Iqbal Mohamed MP (@iqbalmohamedMP) November 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n