Left-Wing Activists Threaten to Sideline Corbyn and Sultana Over ‘Your Party’ Leadership Chaos

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Backers of the fledgling new left-wing group temporarily known as ‘Your Party’ have expressed grave concerns over the public disagreements between backers of potential leaders Corbyn and Sultana.  

Over 260 supporters of Your Party gathered online on Tuesday to discuss the fraught formation of the MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s yet-to-be-permanently-named movement.

The call, organised by the ‘Campaign for Mass Workers’ Party’, saw socialist supporters of the new initiative, including film-maker Ken Loach, hit out at the open warfare at the top of the organisation.

Last Thursday, Sultana launched a membership portal for the new left-wing party, only for Corbyn and fellow Independent Alliance MPs to quickly disavow it as “unauthorised” and seek legal advice. Sultana threatened to bring in defamation lawyers to contest statements from the other independent MPs involved. 

Corbyn’s allies threatened to report her actions to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Sultana has now withdrawn her threat of legal action but questions remain over any potential ICO probe. 

The extraordinary affair saw Sultana complain of being “sidelined” by her colleagues and being “effectively frozen out of the official accounts.” “I have been subjected to what can only be described as a sexist boys’ club”, she said in a statement. The other five ‘Independent Alliance’ who are part of the project MPs are all men. 

In the mass supporters’ call on Tuesday, which Sultana was due to attend but pulled out amid a “family emergency”, host and veteran left-wing activist Audrey White said: “The working class know what betrayal is. We’ve been through too much to have that again.”

White was a British former shopworker and trade unionist who has been credited with successfully pushing for landmark anti-sexual harassment legislation in the UK. 

She later stated to Corbyn and Sultana: “You can come along with us if you want. [But] the battles aren’t on the pages of The Guardian. This is our party.” 

White also raised concerns about financial transparency, saying: “There’s no accounting for where the money is going” after Sultana’s membership launch saw a reported 20,000 supporters sign up, with some paying up to £55 a year. Corbyn and his allies insisted they would be cancelled and given refunds, while The Guardian reported that a ‘soft launch’ of membership is still being planned ahead of a conference in November. 

Filmmaker and activist Ken Loach – who was expelled from Labour in 2021 over alleged links to campaign groups banned within the Labour Party – told attendees: “Those responsible for the manoeuvring should simply hang their heads in shame. It’s simply unacceptable. It fulfils a caricature that we suffer from the right-wing press…The power must stay at the bottom, it can’t stay at the top.”

Loach later added that while he respects both Corbyn and Sultana: “If they’re not going to do it right, they need to step aside.”

Left-wing former Labour MP Claudia Webb (who was also booted from the party after being convicted of harassment in 2021) claimed that “Labour doesn’t fight Reform [UK], it imitates them.” 

She argued a “revolutionary moment” has arrived in Britain. “We have 800,000 voices declaring that socialism is not a distant dream. This is not a project formed in back rooms. Every policy is forged in struggle. The billionaires will howl…This revolution is built on unity among the oppressed.”

A supporter responded: “If we start talking the language of revolution we are going to frighten people…We will start getting terrible results like the [Socialist Party-backed] Trade Union and Socialist Coalition…An ultra-left stance will fail.”

Another former Labour activist, Naomi Winborne-Idrissi, called for lessons to be learnt from Corbyn’s years leading the Labour party. 

“We have to look at the way the left failed. We have to review it and make sure the lessons are learned [from ‘mistakes’ like]…not standing up to antisemitism allegations. Brexit was a mess. 

“There’s been a lot of backroom deals and secrecy. We need to bring it out into the open – who is put in what positions. That’s one of the reasons we’ve had these problems: plotting behind the scenes.”

She referenced the delay in the party’s formation, saying it was like “waiting for Godot” with activists asking: “Why is Jeremy not announcing a new party?”

EXCLUSIVE

Whose Party? Your Party Backers in Call to ‘Democratise’ Left-Wing Group as Corbyn and Sultana Clash Over ‘Sexist Boys Club’

As Corbyn-Sultana tensions explode into the public arena, a new group is mobilising members to demand a ‘genuine say’ in the new party’s direction

Josiah Mortimer

But she criticised the plethora of new groups emerging within Your Party, saying: “We don’t need factionalism; we have had a lot of it.” 

The groups include ‘Our Party’ and the ‘Democratic Bloc’ – both launched around the chaotic scenes last week.  

Bakers’ Union president Ian Hodgson expressed his frustration that there had been “so many false dawns” for the left in Britain.

“We’re losing the arguments whilst we’re talking about internal [disputes]. We have to be clear about what it is we want to do. Arguing about who is to blame – Zarah or Corbyn – won’t change anyone’s life.”

A statement from Zarah Sultana was read out at the meeting, saying she shared people’s sense of “demoralisation” with the public spats. 

In the call log, statements from supporters included: “Everyone who has any responsibility for the conference in any way must be transparently acknowledged and accountable.” 

And amid questions over who will lead the party given the fall-outs between Sultana and Corbyn’s teams, others added: “Corbyn is essential for the kickstart from ground zero to a proper party…Only he has the mass appeal we need.” But another said: “Why do we need famous leaders? Activists…can build up this party.” One added: “No anointing leaders by acclamation, please.” And another rejected “individuals like JC [Jeremy Corbyn]” over “the people.” 

“No way should MPs lead this process…It has to be grassroots” a supporter added. 

UPDATE

The Battle for the Soul Of ‘Your Party’ Is Already Underway

Some activists demand greater say in new left-wing group amid claims of top-down approach ahead of inaugural conference, reports Adrian Goldberg

Adrian Goldberg

Another added: “I am extremely despondent about all this. As I see it, there is a lack of focus, openness, transparency…and genuine commitment to grassroots power. There is a boat load of idiocy…It seems badly managed by people who don’t know what the sh*t they are doing.” 

One said: “We need transparency and democracy, not secretive self-appointed committees.” 

Other supporters expressed their concern about the planned use of “sortition” (picking people by lot) to select attendees for the upcoming inaugural conference. Many were calling for ‘One Member One Vote’ at the launch, with anyone able to attend (virtually or in person) able to vote on the party’s future. 

Others were concerned about the alleged secrecy of planning for the launch – with differences only emerging after spilling out acrimoniously into the public eye over social media. There were also calls for democratic structures including an elected conference arrangements committee to put planning on a transparent footing. 

From both headline speakers and grassroots attendees, the sense of frustration and confusion over who exactly controls ‘Your Party’ – and who sets its direction – were clear. 

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Josiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.

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